Yemeni army shoots down fourth advanced US drone
Yemen’s Armed Forces continue their pro-Palestine naval operations and remain undeterred despite continuous US airstrikes on the country
Yemeni Armed Forces announced on 17 May shooting down a US MQ-9 Reaper over the country’s Marib province the day before, the fourth drone of its kind shot down by Sanaa’s army.
“Yemeni air defenses were able to shoot down an American MQ9 aircraft yesterday evening, Thursday, while it was carrying out hostile actions in the airspace of Marib. It is the fourth aircraft that was shot down during the Battle of the Promised Conquest and the Holy Jihad in support of Gaza,” said military spokesman Brigadier-General Yahya Saree.
“The plane was targeted by a locally made surface-to-air missile,” Saree added. The MQ9 is worth around $30 million.
“The Armed Forces confirm their full readiness at all levels, land, sea and air, and confirm that all attempts of the enemy will fail.”
The downing of the drone came a day after the Yemeni army announced targetingtwo ships in the Red Sea, one of them a US warship.
“The naval forces of the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out a military operation targeting the American destroyer ‘USS Mason’ in the Red Sea with a number of appropriate naval missiles,” Saree said on 15 May.
The armed forces also confirmed the successful targeting of another ship in the Red Sea, identified as the Destiny. Saree explained that the Destiny was targeted because it violated the blockade on ships headed to Israeli ports.
The statement explained that the ship was headed to the southern Israeli port of Eilat on 20 April through “deception and concealment claiming that it was heading to another port.”
The shooting down of the drone also came two days after US–UK airstrikes targeted Yemen’s Hodeidah airport.
In November, Yemen’s Armed Forces – militarily aligned with the Ansarallah resistance movement – began targeting Israeli-linked ships and vessels en route to Israeli ports in the Red Sea and Arab Seas in support of the Palestinian resistance in Gaza. It vowed to continue doing so until the siege of Gaza is lifted and the war brought to an end.
The US and UK have been waging a violent aerial campaign against Yemen since mid-January in response to Yemeni naval operations. When this campaign began, the scope of Yemen’s operations was expanded to include US and British vessels.
Yemeni forces remain undeterred by the US campaign. US and European maritime task forces have also failed to deter Yemen.
Earlier this year, the Yemeni armed forces expanded the scope of their pro-Palestine operations to include the Indian Ocean, severely affecting the Israeli economy.
The Yemeni army said on 3 May that it would expand its operations to include the Mediterranean Sea.