The spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces announced that Yemeni air defenses successfully shot down a US MQ-9 drone over the province of Marib.

According to the spokesperson, this is the eighth MQ-9 drone of its kind that Yemeni forces have shot down. The MQ-9 Reaper is a highly advanced American unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) known for its intelligence-gathering and strike capabilities.

The last downing of this sort took place last month, wherein the YAF shot down an American MQ-9 drone while it was conducting hostile activities in the skies over Saada province.

Saree confirmed that the drone was downed using a homegrown surface-to-air missile, adding that this is the seventh drone of its kind to be shot down since the start of the YAF's military operations in support of Gaza.

The Yemeni Military Media later released footage of the wreckage of the MQ-9 drone that the Yemeni Armed Forces downed over Saada.

The #Yemeni Military Media released footage of the wreckage of an MQ-9 drone that the Yemeni Armed Forces' air defense unit downed over the #Saada province.#Yemen pic.twitter.com/khRCFYiaCv

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) August 4, 2024

Since the YAF launched their military operations in support of the Gaza Strip amid the Israeli war, its air defenses have downed seven similar reconnaissance drones.

To detail some of these operations, on May 29, YAF spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree announced that the air defense forces successfully shot down an MQ-9 drone while it was conducting hostile operations over Marib.

Days earlier, another drone of the same model was downed using a locally-made surface-to-air missile over al-Bayda province on May 21.

On May 17, Yemeni military media published footage of the air defenses shooting down an American MQ-9 drone over Marib on May 8.