Yemen Houthis Shoot Down $30 Million US Drones

The Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed to have shot down a another MQ-9 Reaper drone operated by the US military on Saturday, releasing footage of parts that appeared to match known sections of the unmanned aircraft.

Following a relative respite in their pressure campaign over the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip, the Ansar Allah movement claimed to have shot down the Reaper using a surface-to-air missile this week, which was confirmed by US air force officials.

A man off-camera was heard reciting Houthi slogans after the drone was hit in footage that the Houthis released. The footage also featured multiple close-ups of different parts of the drone, including the company's logo, General Atomics, which makes the drone, and serial numbers that match known parts manufactured by the company.

Reapers can travel up to 50,000 feet in the air and can stay in the air for up to 24 hours before having to land; they are estimated to cost roughly $30 million each.

Since November, the Houthis have attacked ships more than fifty times, taken one of them and sunk another, according to the U.S. Maritime Administration.

A campaign of airstrikes in Yemen led by the United States has resulted in a decrease in Houthi attacks in recent weeks. The danger has caused a decrease in shipping across the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. 

Because of the U.S.-led operation against them and because the rebels have been firing drones and missiles nonstop over the past few months, American officials have theorized that the rebels may be running low on munitions. But the rebels have recently stepped forward with new attacks.