The Pentagon has confirmed that Houthi rebels in Yemen have shot down a United States-owned reaper drone. The worst part about this news is how the U.S. is going to retaliate to push this war to all new extremes.
According to a report by Stars and Stripes, the U.S. military officials believe the MQ-9 Reaper drone was shot down by a Houthi surface-to-air missile before it crashed into the Red Sea, Sabrina Singh, a Pentagon spokeswoman, told reporters Tuesday. The drone had not yet been recovered, she said. The drone was an American intelligence-gathering machine operating off Yemen’s coast on Monday, Singh confirmed.
The Houthis claim their attacks in the Red Sea and on this drone as retaliation for Israel’s war in Gaza, which began in the wake of the October 7th attack on Israelis by Hamas militants.
The Houthis also shot down a U.S. military drone in November. It was also an MQ-9, which crashed into the Red Sea, the Pentagon said at that time. The rebel group, which has controlled much of Yemen since 2014, had previously shot down Reapers in 2017 and 2019.
Reaper drones each cost about $30 million and are primarily flown by the Air Force to conduct intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations. They can be armed with up to eight Hellfire missiles, according to the Air Force.
Singh said Tuesday that she was uncertain whether the drone shot down Monday was armed, but it certainly can be. Singh added that this will not deter the U.S. ruling class and it will continue to fly drones over Yemen claiming the rulers need to monitor the Houthi rebels’ attacks on vessels in the Red Sea.
War Alert: Yemen Warns The EU As Warships Head To The Red Sea
Houthis are also continuing their attacks on ships and could be escalating them. The group shot two anti-ship ballistic missiles at a Greek-flagged, U.S.-owned grain carrier on Monday, which sustained minor damage but completed its transit to Aden, Yemen, to deliver the grain after the attack, according to CENTCOM, which is responsible for U.S. military operations in the region.
Red Sea Attack: Crew Abandons Cargo Ship After Houthi Rebels Strike It With Missiles
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