The Houthis said on Tuesday that Yemeni forces have downed another US MQ-9 Reaper drone that was operating over Yemen’s Hodeidah province.
A US military official acknowledged to Al Arabiya that the US Air Force had lost contact with one of its MQ-9 drones that was operating over the Red Sea as part of Operation Poseidon Archer, the US military operation targeting the Houthis.
The incident marks the 15th time since 2023 that the Houthis have claimed they shot down a US MQ-9, and each drone costs about $30 million. The Pentagon has previously disputed the number claimed by the Houthis but has acknowledged many MQ-9s have been downed over Yemen.
The Biden administration launched a bombing campaign against the Houthis starting in January 2024 in response to the group’s attacks on Israeli shipping, which began in response to the US-backed genocidal war on Gaza. The Houthis have stopped their attacks on Israel since the Gaza ceasefire deal was reached but have vowed to restart them if the truce collapses, which is appearing more and more likely amid flagrant Israeli violations.
So far, the Trump administration hasn’t launched any airstrikes against the Houthis but may be preparing to do so as it is ramping up the pressure on the group. The administration has re-designated the Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, as a “Foreign Terrorist Organization” and slapped new sanctions on the group on Wednesday.
President Trump also recently loosened restrictions on drone strikes and special operations raids, and US officials said the move was made with the Houthis in mind as a potential target, along with al-Shabaab in Somalia, which US Africa Command has targeted at least three times under the new Trump administration.
