The Iran-backed Houthi terrorists of Yemen claimed on Sunday to have shot down another expensive U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone.
The Houthis also struck a civilian vessel in the Gulf of Aden with a missile, breaking a two-week operational pause in their attacks on international shipping.
The alleged drone shootdown on Sunday marked the first Houthi attack since Israeli airstrikes on the port city of Hodeidah two weeks ago. The Houthis have claimed to shoot down a half-dozen Reaper drones, which cost about $30 million each, since they overthrew the legitimate government of Yemen in 2014.
The drone shootdown was first reported by Lebanon’s pro-Hezbollah news network Al-Mayadeen, which said the American UAV was brought down over the Houthi-controlled Saada Governate in northern Yemen.
As with previous such incidents, the Houthis quickly posted video of what they claimed to be the destroyed drone to their social media accounts. Independent media networks could not verify the authenticity of the video.
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Later on Sunday, the Houthis launched missiles against a Liberian-flagged, Greek-managed cargo ship called MV Groton in the Gulf of Aden. The ship was about 125 nautical miles east of the Yemeni port of Aden when it was attacked.
According to United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), at least one missile struck the vessel, but the crew observed “no fires, water ingress, or oil leaks” after the attack.
The Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC), a multinational command managed by the U.S. Navy, said on Sunday that no crew members were injured, but the ship was “reported diverting to a port nearby” after the missile strike.
UKMTO and private security firm Ambrey said the ship was traveling from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the Saudi Arabian port city of Jeddah.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for attacking the Groton with ballistic missiles later on Sunday.