An American MQ-9 Reaper drone was recently shot down by Iranian-backed Houthis off the coast of Yemen, the U.S. military confirmed on Wednesday.
The drone was reportedly conducting surveillance over international waters.
Iran-backed Houthis shoot down US MQ-9 Reaper drone off coast of Yemenhttps://t.co/G7s50X2hlU
— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 9, 2023
"We can confirm that a U.S. military MQ-9 remotely-piloted aircraft was shot down off the coast of Yemen by Houthi forces," the senior official told Fox News.
"The senior U.S. defense official added that the aircraft was shot down while in international airspace over international waters off the coast of Yemen, and that U.S. Central Command officials are currently assessing the incident," the report added.
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"The shootdown, which the Iran-backed Houthi militants took responsibility for earlier on Wednesday, comes several weeks after a US Navy warship, the USS Carney, intercepted multiple missiles and drones fired by the Houthis as they were heading north along the Red Sea," CNN reported.
"The ship shot down four cruise missiles and 15 drones over a period of nine hours, CNN previously reported, and their trajectory left little doubt that the projectiles were headed for Israel," it noted.
US Reaper drone shot down near Yemen by Iranian-backed Houthi militants, defense official says https://t.co/XGzMqmpzCG
— John Clark ABC11 (@JohnClarkABC11) November 9, 2023
"U.S. troops stationed in Iraq and Syria have been attacked by rockets and drones 41 times since the wave began on Oct. 17, with 46 service members having reported injuries from the attacks," Politico reported.
"Twenty-four of those service members were diagnosed with traumatic brain injury, Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters on Monday," it continued.
The incident also comes shortly after attacks by Hamas on Israel that began on Oct. 7. The violence killed over 1,400 Israelis, with Hamas taking over 240 hostages into Gaza. The death toll also included over 30 Americans.
Violence in the Middle East has continued to break out since, with Hezbollah rebels conducting isolated attacks on Israel's northern border with Lebanon. Iranian-backed proxies in Iraq and Syria have also launched numerous attacks against U.S. bases, in incidents now involving many nations across the region.
Biden has so far backed Israel but also called for a pause on fighting in Gaza. The administration has also been quiet about other attacks, instead moving troops and ships into the region to help prevent even more attacks from spreading.
