Yemen's Houthis say downed US MQ-9 drone

SANAA -- Yemen's Houthi armed group said in a statement early Tuesday that it has shot down a US MQ-9 drone over Yemen's central province of Marib.

"Our air defenses shot down a hostile American MQ-9 drone in the airspace of Marib province, using a locally manufactured missile," Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement aired by the group's al-Masirah TV.

"This is the sixteenth US drone that our air defenses have successfully shot down since October 2023," he said, without specifying the exact timing. Local Houthi media reported that the drone was downed on Monday.

"We affirm that we will continue to prevent Israeli navigation in the Red Sea and the Arabian Seas ... until the aggression against Gaza stops and the siege is lifted," Sarea said, adding they will also keep carrying out attacks against "enemy warships."

He was referring to the US Navy, including the aircraft carrier, stationed in the northern Red Sea.

The US military has resumed airstrikes on Houthi-held areas in northern Yemen since March 15 in a bid to deter the group from attacking Israeli targets, the US Navy, and international shipping lanes in the region.

On Monday, fresh US airstrikes killed two people and injured a child in Bani Qa'is in Yemen's northwestern province of Hajjah, according to residents and local health authorities.