Current:Home > MyAnother US MQ-9 Reaper drone goes down in Yemen, images purportedly show -CapitalCourse
Another US MQ-9 Reaper drone goes down in Yemen, images purportedly show
SignalHub View
Date:2025-04-09 08:45:58
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Another U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone went down in Yemen, images purported to show Wednesday, as Yemen’s Houthi rebels continued attacks on shipping around the Red Sea over the Israel-Hamas war.
The Houthis released footage they said showed the aircraft being targeted with a surface-to-air missile in a desert region of Yemen’s central Marib province. It marked the third-such downing this month alone.
Images analyzed by The Associated Press showed the MQ-9 on its belly in the barren desert, its tail assembly disconnected from their rest of its body. At least one hatch on the drone appeared to have been opened after it landed there, though the drone remained broadly intact without any clear blast damage. One image included Wednesday’s date.
Noticeably, the drone did not appear to carry any markings on it.
Authorities in Marib, which remains held by allies of Yemen’s exiled government, did not acknowledge the drone.
A U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters, told the AP that “the U.S. Air Force has not lost any aircraft operating within U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility.” The official declined to elaborate.
The CIA also is believed to have flown Reaper drones over Yemen, both to monitor the war and in its campaign against al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen’s local affiliate of the militant group. The CIA declined to comment when reached by the AP.
Located 120 kilometers (75 miles) east of Sanaa, Marib sits on the edge of the Arabian Peninsula’s Empty Quarter Desert at the foot of the Sarawat Mountains running along the Red Sea. The province has seen U.S. drones previously brought down there, in part because the region remains crucial for the outcome of Yemen’s yearslong war.
Since Yemen’s civil war started in 2014, when the Houthis seized most of the country’s north and its capital of Sanaa, the U.S. military has lost at least five drones to the rebels. This month alone, there’s been two others suspected shootdowns of Reapers that the American military hasn’t confirmed.
Reapers cost around $30 million apiece. They can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet (about 15,000 meters) and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land.
The Houthis in recent months have stepped up attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, demanding that Israel end the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians there. The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking some 250 hostage.
The Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, seized one vessel and sunk another since November, according to the U.S. Maritime Administration.
Shipping through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has declined because of the threat.
On Wednesday, Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree acknowledged the rebels attacked the bulk carrier Laax on Tuesday. Saree also claimed a number of other attacks on vessels that have not reported assaults without offering any evidence to support his claim. Saree in the past has exaggerated Houthi attacks.
Early Thursday, Central Command said over the last day, it destroyed two missile launchers in Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen, as well as destroyed two drones over the Red Sea. The Houthis separately launched two anti-ship ballistic missiles that splashed into the Red Sea, causing no injuries or damage, Central Command said.
veryGood! (4783)
Related
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- Tots on errands, phone mystery, stinky sweat benefits: Our top non-virus global posts
- Today’s Climate: September 21, 2010
- Despite Electoral Outcomes, Poll Shows Voters Want Clean Economy
- New Zealand official reverses visa refusal for US conservative influencer Candace Owens
- Popular COVID FAQs in 2022: Outdoor risks, boosters, 1-way masking, faint test lines
- Supreme Court allows border restrictions for asylum-seekers to continue for now
- Judge Fails to Block Dakota Pipeline Construction After Burial Sites Destroyed
- Global Warming Set the Stage for Los Angeles Fires
- I usually wake up just ahead of my alarm. What's up with that?
Ranking
- Could your smelly farts help science?
- Can dogs smell time? Just ask Donut the dog
- See How Days of Our Lives Honored Deidre Hall During Her 5,000th Episode
- Elizabeth Warren on Climate Change: Where the Candidate Stands
- Jorge Ramos reveals his final day with 'Noticiero Univision': 'It's been quite a ride'
- Kate Spade 24-Hour Flash Deal: Get This $280 Crossbody Bag for Just $59
- Today’s Climate: September 22, 2010
- Why Maria Menounos Credits Her Late Mom With Helping to Save Her Life
Recommendation
Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
A Record Number of Scientists Are Running for Congress, and They Get Climate Change
The Bear's Jeremy Allen White and Wife Addison Timlin Break Up After 3 Years of Marriage
Supreme Court won't review North Carolina's decision to reject license plates with Confederate flag
Residents worried after ceiling cracks appear following reroofing works at Jalan Tenaga HDB blocks
Cyberattacks on hospitals thwart India's push to digitize health care
Person of interest named in mass shooting during San Francisco block party that left nine people wounded
Exxon’s Big Bet on Oil Sands a Heavy Weight To Carry