KOMPUTER JADUL-, The United States Air Force has lost contact with an MQ-9 Reaper drone operating over the Red Sea, near Yemen, this week. The Houthi group based in Yemen claims to have shot down the US drone.
A US defense official, who declined to be named, as reported by Al Arabiya, Wednesday (3/5/2025), said that the MQ-9 drone was conducting an operation in support of Operation Poseidon Archer, which refers to an effort for the US military to target the Houthis.
"We are actively assessing the incident to determine the cause and determine a next step," the US military defense official said.
The Houthis, in a separate statement on Tuesday (3/4), claimed that they had shot down an MQ-9 drone detected flying over the Hodeidah region, Yemen. The Houthis said the drone was carrying out a "hostile mission".
The Houthis also claimed that the downed MQ-9 drone was the 15th US drone shot down since the war in Gaza began in 2023.
The Houthi claim has not been independently verified. The US has also not been able to provide a response.
Earlier on the same day, Washington re-designated the Iran-backed Houthi group as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO). This move is in line with President Donald Trump's direction in January.
The Houthis, who have managed to control most of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, have launched a series of missile and drone attacks on Israel since the Gaza war began in October 2023.
The group has also repeatedly targeted US military ships and jets as well as merchant ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, a major waterway for global trade. The Houthis claim that their attacks were a form of solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
At some point last month, the Houthis had launched surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) at a US fighter jet and another MQ-9 Reaper drone. But the shots had missed and neither had hit them.
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