Iran-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen claimed on Wednesday to have shot down another US military MQ-9 Reaper drone worth $30 million, backing up their claim with footage of the missile launch and wreckage in the desert.
French naval authorities said the civilian ship damaged in a Houthi missile attack on Tuesday was carrying grain bound for Iran, a longtime ally and backer of the Houthi terrorist movement.
Houthis release picture A video released on Wednesday purportedly showed a Reaper drone being targeted by a surface-to-air missile while flying over Yemen’s central desert province of Marib, and included photos of what appeared to be a Reaper crashing in the desert with a detached tail section and one of its hatches open.
This footage also Drawn Houthi fighters celebrate by standing on top of the downed drone. The Reaper appears to be intact, raising the possibility that the Houthis may hand it over to their Iranian backers. history Reverse engineer other countries’ advanced technology to improve their own drone weapons.
This is the sixth US-made MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle to be shot down (or crashed) by the Houthis.
Houthis wearing slippers on top of drones. https://t.co/LUkVclltiv pic.twitter.com/fbG7X7YyuN
— Crash Report (@clashreport) May 29, 2024
If the Houthis’ claims are accepted, Sixth The Reaper drone was destroyed by the rebels, marking their third downing in the last month alone, though the downing has yet to be confirmed by outside sources, including the Marib provincial government. Aligned and the legitimate government of Yemen.
An anonymous U.S. defense official told The Associated Press on Wednesday that “the U.S. Air Force has not lost any operational aircraft within U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility.”
The Associated Press saw this as a carefully worded denial, as other agencies besides the Air Force, including the CIA, are known to operate Reapers over Yemen. The drones seen in the Houthi footage bore no identifying markings on their fuselages.
On Thursday, French naval officials in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Said Greek-owned, Marshall Islands-flagged cargo ship Laax, Damaged The ship, which was shot down by a Houthi missile on Tuesday, was carrying grain bound for Iran – a likely complication for the Houthis, who are heavily funded and armed by Iranian terrorist groups.
of Raa The ship was initially listed in a maritime tracking database as bound for the UAE port of Fujairah, but as of Thursday its destination was listed as Bandar-e-Imam Khomeini in Iran. The French Navy confirmed that this was the correct destination for the ship and its cargo.
The French authorities Raa The vessel sustained heavy damage to the waterline and deck. According to an investigation team sent from Djibouti, both a Houthi drone and a missile hit the vessel. The investigation team found no unexploded ordnance on board, but this was a major concern before allowing the vessel to complete its voyage.
A private security company called LSS-SAPU, which assists victims of Houthi attacks, had armed guards on board the ship. Laax, They said at least five missiles hit the ship during the attack, which lasted several hours.
Such an attack of such intensity and duration would be another blemish on President Joe Biden’s multinational “Operation Guardian of Prosperity.” Security Initiative It was meant to protect international shipping from the Houthis.
The Houthis have declared their intention to attack American and Israeli ships, as well as ships bound for Israel, to pressure Israel to halt its military operations against Hamas, another Iranian terrorist group. The Houthis have been sloppy in their targeting over the past eight months, attacking numerous ships that did not meet their declared criteria. Other ships Going to Iran.
