The Houthis shot down an American MQ-9 drone over the Red Sea yesterday, Wednesday, adding the incident to a disturbing year experienced by the aircraft, which specializes in collecting valuable intelligence information for the US military.
The Houthis, who took control of the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, in 2014 and rule large swaths of the country, claimed responsibility for the downing of the plane last Wednesday and said the plane was carrying out “hostile acts, monitoring and espionage” in what they described as “American support for Israel” in Israel’s war in Gaza.
The United States has denied that several recent decisions were related to the conflict between Israel and Hamas, including increasing the number of its forces in the region, and attributed this to support for forces deployed in the region, which have come under increasing pressure. attacks in light of the crisis that began on October 7th.
Pentagon deputy spokeswoman Sabrina Singh confirmed Thursday that the Houthis shot down an American MQ-9 drone and that its debris fell into the Red Sea.
According to a report from the site “Insider” the plane, specialized in combat and reconnaissance, has witnessed a disturbing year, as in the past it crashed and was subjected to harassment in flight, only to be shot down again this week by planes military. Houthis.
The march has been used this year in hot spots in Europe and the Middle East, to carry out high-level strikes and gather valuable intelligence information for the U.S. military.
The aircraft, which can be well armed with precision missiles and bombs, is capable of operating at high altitude for up to 24 hours and is priced at around $30 million.
According to the US Air Force, thanks to its ability to fly for a longer period, its sensors and precision weapons, the drone offers a unique ability to carry out strikes, coordination and reconnaissance against high-value targets.
The Milateri website reports that the aircraft, widely known for intelligence gathering and precision strikes against terrorist targets across the Middle East and Afghanistan, has carried out the majority of airstrikes in Syria in recent months.
An Insider report says the problems with the march began this year, in mid-March, when it fell after a Russian Su-27 fighter jet jammed it and blocked its path.
In the latest “troubling” incident related to its downing, in the words of a Pentagon official, Houthi rebels on Wednesday shot down the drone off the coast of Yemen, which was reportedly flying through international airspace and over international waters .
According to the report, this is not the first time the Houthis have shot down an American MQ-9 aircraft, as the militants had previously fired a surface-to-air missile at one of them, in June 2019, the report said. US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported at the time. Several days later, they attempted to shoot down another, but a surface-to-air missile missed its target by a kilometer.
The Houthis had previously claimed responsibility for drone and missile attacks on Israel and said they were a response to Israeli operations in the Gaza Strip, which had killed more than 10,000 people, most of them civilians.
Israel is at war with Hamas following the unprecedented attacks launched by the movement on Israeli territory on October 7, which resulted in the killing of at least 1,400 people, most of them civilians, and the kidnapping of more than 240 people by the movement.
The Houthis have threatened to continue conducting military operations against Israel.