Yemen’s Houthi group announced on Saturday that it had shot down a second U.S. MQ-9 drone within 24 hours over the skies of Sanaa, the country’s capital.
According to Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sare’e, the drone was downed by a locally-made surface-to-air missile while it was carrying out what he described as “hostile activities.”
Sare’e said this marked the second U.S. drone shot down in a single day and the sixth in April. He claimed that Houthi air defenses have now downed 21 U.S. drones since October 7, 2023.
He emphasized that the group would continue military operations until the Israeli assault on Gaza ends and the blockade is lifted. Sare’e also warned that ongoing U.S. airstrikes and civilian casualties would only increase Houthi determination to support Palestinians.
“Targeting civilians, their properties, and public and private facilities will not break the will of the Yemeni people,” Sare’e said.
The U.S. government has not issued any official response to the claim.
The latest drone downing comes after U.S. airstrikes late Thursday reportedly targeted Ras Isa port in Yemen’s western Al Hudaydah province. According to preliminary figures released by the Houthi-run Health Ministry, the strikes killed at least 80 people and injured 150 others, including port workers and first responders.
In mid-March, U.S. President Donald Trump authorized what he described as “decisive and powerful military action” against the Houthis. He later threatened to “completely annihilate them.”
Since November 2023, the Houthis have attacked commercial ships in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab Strait, Arabian Sea, and the Gulf of Aden. The group says these attacks are in support of Palestinians in Gaza, where over 51,000 people have reportedly been killed during an 18-month Israeli offensive.
The Houthis briefly paused their attacks following a ceasefire in January between Israel and Hamas but resumed them last month after Israel renewed its strikes on Gaza.
