Yemen's Houthi rebels shoot down another US MQ-9 Reaper drone, US confirms crash

Yemen's Houthi rebels, an Iran-backed militia group, claimed that it shot down another U.S. Air Force MQ-9 drone inside the country's airspace early on Friday. The US too confirmed the drone crash but made no mention of the reason.

This is the third reported downing of the US MQ-9 drone off the coast of Yemen, the first happening last November and then another in February.

Houthis military spokesman Yahya Saree said the country’s air defense forces shot down an MQ-9 Reaper attack drone of the US military with a missile in the airspace of the Saada governorate "while it was carrying out hostile missions". The Houthis also aired footage of parts that corresponded to known pieces of the unmanned aircraft. 

The US claims the drone were part of the U.S. military's efforts to help defend commercial and military ships against ongoing attacks by the Houthis. 

According to the rebels, they shot down the Reaper with a surface-to-air missile. The footage also shows a man off-camera reciting the Houthi's slogan after it was hit: "God is the greatest; death to America; death to Israel; curse the Jews; victory to Islam."

The footage also showed parts of the drone that included the logo of General Atomics and serial numbers corresponding with known parts made by the company. Reapers, which cost around USD 30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land. 

Meanwhile, the Houthis also claimed to have struck a British oil ship.

'Andromeda Star' was targeted in the Red Sea with naval missiles and was directly hit. The Panama-flagged, Seychelles-registered vessel was targetted thrice and hit once. 

"MV Andromeda Star reports minor damage, but is continuing its voyage," the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on X, adding there were no injuries or damage. Private security firm Ambrey described the tanker as being "engaged in Russia-linked trade" and was traveling from Primorsk, Russia, to Vadinar, India.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) also confirmed two attacks on a vessel some 14 nautical miles (26km) southwest of al-Mukha (Mocha) in Yemen. It said a first explosion happened in close proximity to the vessel and a second attack, consisting of what is believed to be two missiles, damaged the vessel. 

The Houthi attack on merchant vessels had come down after the Us-led coalition began to partrol the Red Sea. However, the recent attacks hint at their resurgence. Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said earlier this month that the U.S. "certainly will continue to do everything we can to protect commercial shipping through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, and, of course, do everything that we need to to protect our forces."