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The Jerusalem Post

Iran-backed Houthis shoot down US drone near Yemen

 
 The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) fires a Standard Missile (SM) 2 to defeat a combination of Houthi missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles in the Red Sea, Oct. 19, 2023. (photo credit: Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Aaron Lau/US Navy)
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) fires a Standard Missile (SM) 2 to defeat a combination of Houthi missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles in the Red Sea, Oct. 19, 2023.
(photo credit: Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Aaron Lau/US Navy)

A Houthi military spokesperson said they shot down the drone in airspace over Yemeni territorial waters.

A US military MQ-9 drone was shot down on Wednesday by Yemen's Houthis, two US officials and the Iran-aligned Houthi movement said.

While US drones have been shot down by Houthis in the past, this incident comes at a particularly tense time in the region.

Washington is on heightened alert for activity by Iran-backed groups as regional tensions soar during the Israel-Hamas war.

Yemen shoots down drone over territory's waters

The US officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the drone, made by General Atomics, had been brought down off the coast of Yemen. They did not say if it was taken down in international airspace.

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In a statement, a Houthi military spokesperson said they shot down the drone in airspace over Yemeni territorial waters.

 Israel Navy missile ships head to the Red Sea after several aerial intrusions by Houthi drones, November 1, 2023 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
Israel Navy missile ships head to the Red Sea after several aerial intrusions by Houthi drones, November 1, 2023 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

In 2019, US drones were brought down on two separate occasions by the group in Yemen.

The Pentagon has surged thousands of troops to the region to try and contain the conflict, including two aircraft carriers. Some of those troops have been in the Red Sea aboard military vessels.

Last month, a US Navy warship intercepted four cruise missiles and more than a dozen drones launched by the Houthis from Yemen headed toward Israel.

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