The Houthis claimed responsibility for the downing of the American drone.
Drone A US Air Force MQ-9 Reaper, valued at approximately $30 million, crashed off the coast of Yemen on the morning of April 26.
This is reported by CBS News.
The incident is being investigated by the United States. Preliminarily, there were no casualties due to the fall of the drone.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for shooting down the American drone.
Since November 2023, the Houthis have shot down two similar MQ-9 drones, both near the Yemen coast. The first is in early November, and then another in February 2024.
According to the Congressional Research Service, each drone costs about $30 million.
The drones flying near and over Yemen's coast are part of the U.S. military's efforts to protect commercial and military ships from Houthi attacks.
Since the Hamas invasion of Israel in October 2023, the Houthis have attacked or threatened more than 100 commercial or military vessels in the Red Sea or Gulf of Aden.
As a countermeasure, the US and UK, supported by other countries, conducted four rounds of joint airstrikes to destroy Houthi forces in Yemen. In addition, the US military regularly attacks Houthi missiles and drones when it sees them preparing to attack.
The United States also launched a defensive naval operation called Operation Prosperity Guardian, involving more than 20 partner countries, to protect commercial ships from attack.
In March, two crew members were killed during an attack on the Liberian-owned merchant ship True Confidence.
Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh previously said the US “will certainly continue to do everything possible to protect commercial shipping through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, and will certainly do whatever is necessary to protect our forces”.
Recall, on the night of April 14, Iran attacked Israel with drones and missiles – details.
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