On Wednesday, November 8, a U.S. drone was shot down by Houthi rebels, which is likely to have made the relationship between the United States and Yemen grow increasingly more tense. This alarming episode has raised serious concerns regarding the security of U.S.-allied countries in the region.
The Houthis have stated that they downed an MQ-9 Reaper drone within Yemeni airspace using air defenses. However, a senior U.S military official claims that they are still analyzing this incident to determine if the drone was indeed over Yemeni airspace or not at the time of its destruction – a second U.S official has noted that it was actually over international waters when it was brought down from above.
The Houthi Terrorist Organization in Yemen has released Footage showing their Shoot Down of a U.S. Air Force MQ-9A “Reaper” Surveillance Drone earlier today over the Red Sea using what is now believed to have been a 2K12 “Kub” Surface-to-Air Missile System. pic.twitter.com/NcNKEi1Etn
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) November 8, 2023
What’s more concerning is that since October 7th, The Houthis have fired four separate batches of drones and missiles toward southern Israel which could potentially be seen as acts of aggression by both parties involved in this conflict – particularly given how much influence Iran holds over the Houthis in Yemen today.
U.S. Central Command has now Confirmed that a Air Force MQ-9A “Reaper” Surveillance Drone was Downed by the Houthis earlier today, while it was in International Airspace over the Red Sea off the Coast of Yemen; the Incident is currently under Investigation. pic.twitter.com/Qc1uwpi2cf
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) November 8, 2023
The Times of Israel reported:
“A US drone was shot down by Yemen’s Houthi rebels today, according to the Iran-backed group’s military arm and a senior US military official.
The Houthis said it was an MQ-9 Reaper drone that was in Yemeni air space and was shot down by air defenses. The senior US military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet made public, says the military is still analyzing the episode, including whether the drone was in international airspace or over Yemen.
The Houthis claim to have fired at least four batches of drones and missiles toward southern Israel since Oct. 7. The group controls the capital and much of northern and western Yemen where the majority of the county’s population lives.”
