DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Early Friday morning, reports surfaced that Yemen’s Houthi rebels managed to shoot down what witnesses indicated was an American drone, marking the latest incident involving U.S. espionage aircraft amid the rebels’ ongoing operations in the Red Sea corridor.
The U.S. military acknowledged the emergence of videos online depicting what appeared to be a flaming drone plunging from the sky, coupled with a scene of smoldering wreckage in Yemen’s al-Jawf province. The military is currently investigating the occurrence but chose not to provide additional details at this time.
The exact type of aircraft involved in this incident remains unclear based on the low-resolution night footage. The Houthi rebels possess surface-to-air missiles, including the Iranian-designed missile known as the 358, which can effectively engage aerial targets. Iran has denied providing military aid to the Houthis; however, parts manufactured in Iran have been discovered on battlefields in Yemen and onboard vessels headed there, despite a United Nations-imposed arms embargo.
The Houthis play a critical role in Iran’s so-called “Axis of Resistance,” which encompasses various militant entities, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas. While the Houthis have not explicitly taken responsibility for this drone incident, it is common for them to take hours or even days to officially acknowledge such engagements.
The rebels have been active since they took control of northern Yemen and the capital city, Sanaa, in 2014. They successfully brought down MQ-9 Reaper drones in previous years, specifically during 2017, 2019, 2023, and 2024. The U.S. military has refrained from disclosing the overall number of drones lost during this period.
The Reaper drones, valued at approximately $30 million each, are capable of soaring to altitudes nearing 50,000 feet (15,240 meters) and can remain airborne for as long as 24 hours before necessitating a landing. These drones have been utilized by both the U.S. military and the CIA over Yemeni territory for several years.
Since the onset of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October 2023, the Houthis have launched attacks on over 90 merchant vessels using missiles and drones. Their campaign has resulted in the seizure of one ship and the sinking of two others, with four sailors reported dead. Many additional missiles or drone attacks have been intercepted by a U.S.-led coalition operating in the Red Sea or have failed to hit their designated targets, which included various Western military vessels.
The Houthis assert their intent to strike vessels affiliated with Israel, the United States, or the United Kingdom in an effort to pressure these nations into acting against Israel’s actions in Gaza. However, many of the targeted vessels do not have significant connections to the conflict, including those en route to Iran. The frequency of Houthi maritime assaults has fluctuated throughout the months.
In response to the evolving situation, the U.S. military deployed B-2 stealth bombers in October to carry out strikes against underground facilities utilized by the Houthis.