An American MQ-9 Reaper drone crashed off the coast of Yemen after being struck by a missile, and it is the second time an MQ-9 was lost near Yemen in recent months, with US officials confirming that another was downed by the Houthis last year.
The apparent shoot-down came the same day that the rebels targeted two US-owned merchant vessels as part of their multi-month campaign of attacks on shipping in the area.
The Houthis have been opposed to government forces in Yemen and have also targeted US and coalition aircraft and warships, shooting down 10 one-way attack drones in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The US military command also said an American destroyer shot down an anti-ship cruise missile that was “headed in its direction” early on Tuesday, and on Monday, two anti-ship ballistic missiles caused minor damage to the M/V Sea Champion, a US-owned, Greek-flagged grain ship, while a drone hit the M/V Navis Fortuna, a US-owned, Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier.
The Houthis began attacking Red Sea shipping in November, targeting Israel-linked vessels and drawing a response from US and UK forces with strikes against the rebels. The situation has escalated and led to violence involving Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.
