A U.S. unmanned aerial vehicle crashed off the coast of Yemen on Monday, the U.S. Department of Defense announced Tuesday, confirming signs it was shot down by a Houthi missile.
This is the second loss of the US MQ-9 Reaper, worth around $30 million
Pentagon Deputy Spokesperson Sabrina Singh said, “Initial indications are that it was shot down by a Houthi surface-to-air missile.”
It was the second loss since November of a US MQ-9 Reaper (file photo, top, from Reuters), worth about $30 million, off the coast of Yemen.
“Take America by Surprise”
Private sources told Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Yemen that the MQ9 UAV had been hit by new self-defense weapons. Additionally, they confirmed that the downing of the drone took the US by surprise.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sariya also confirmed that the country's air defense forces had shot down a US intelligence-gathering drone used to strike targets.
He asserted that the US military vehicle was shot down using appropriate missiles, “carrying out hostile activities against our country on behalf of the Zionist Organization”.
“The Yemeni Armed Forces will not hesitate to take further military actions and conduct more qualitative operations against all enemy targets to protect our beloved Yemen, reaffirm support for the Palestinian people,” the spokesman added.
