The screenshot captured from a video released by the Houthi group on April 27, 2024 shows the wreckage of what it said was a “U.S. MQ9 spy drone” in a mountain in Saada, northern Yemen. Yemen’s Houthi group on Saturday posted a video showing the downing of what it said was a “U.S. MQ9 spy drone” over the northern Yemeni province of Saada. (Xinhua)
By Xinhua News Agency
Yemen’s Houthi group on Saturday posted a video showing the downing of what it said was a “U.S. MQ9 spy drone” over the northern Yemeni province of Saada.
The Houthis said the operation occurred late Thursday night near the southern border of Saudi Arabia.
The video broadcast by the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV showed the drone, while flying over the sky of Saada, was spotted by an apparent infrared thermal camera.
As the video showed, a Houthi fighter and a bunch of men launched what appeared to be a missile toward the drone, causing yellowish fire and an explosion, after which debris fell rapidly to the ground. The Saada province is the stronghold of Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi.
The edited video went on to show a Houthi fighter, standing near the wreckage of a drone, said, “In the late night of April 25, we shot down a reconnaissance aircraft belonging to the U.S.-British enemy which was conducting hostile acts over Saada province.”
The fighter threatened to carry out further operations against such “U.S.-British planes,” while raising his hands high and chanting the Houthi group’s anti-U.S. and Israel slogans.
The Houthis began last November to launch anti-ship ballistic missiles and drones targeting what they said were Israeli-linked ships transiting the Red Sea to show solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The U.S.-British naval coalition stationed in the waters has since January conducted air raids and missile strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen to deter the group, but only led to an expansion of Houthi attacks to include U.S. and British commercial vessels and naval ships.