Yemen downs another US Reaper drone

Yemeni air defense units have shot down another US MQ-9 Reaper drone over the northern province of al-Jawf, the 12th aircraft of its kind destroyed by the country's forces so far.

The drone designed for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance was downed while flying over the region early Friday, Yemeni media outlets reported. 

The US military acknowledged the videos circulating online showing what appeared to be a flaming aircraft dropping out of the sky and a field of burning debris in what those off-camera described as an area of al-Jawf province. The military said it was investigating the incident, declining to elaborate further.

Yemeni forces have surface-to-air missiles capable of downing aircraft. The country's Ansarullah movement has been a key component of the “Axis of Resistance” that includes Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Hamas and the Islamic Resistance in Iraq.

Reapers, which cost around US$30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet (15,240 meters) and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land. The aircraft have been flown by both the US military and the CIA over Yemen for years.

Yemenis have declared their open support for Palestine’s struggle against the Israeli occupation since the regime launched a devastating war on Gaza on October 07 last year, killing at least 43,469 Palestinians to date. 

Yemen's armed forces have said that they won’t stop their attacks until Israeli ground and aerial attacks in Gaza end. They have targeted more than 90 Israeli-linked vessels with missiles and drones since the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip started in October 2023.  

Ansarullah maintains that it targets ships linked to Israel, the United States or the Britain to force an end to Israel’s war on Gaza.  

In October, the US military unleashed B-2 stealth bombers to bomb Yemen in support of Israel.