Yemeni forces shoot down US spy drone, third in a week
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The MQ-9 Reaper was struck in Yemen's airspace in its Dhamar Province.
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Yemeni Armed Forces spokesperson Brigadier Yahya Saree delivers a statement during a rally in Sanaa on March 15, 2024. (AFP)
Yemeni Armed Forces shot down another US spy drone on Monday, marking the third aircraft downed by the forces in the past week and the 10th to be destroyed since October 7.
The MQ-9 Reaper was struck in Yemen's airspace above Dhamar Province using a domestically-produced surface-to-air missile, according to Yemeni Armed Forces spokesperson Yahya Saree.
The American warplane is valued at around $35 million and is used for dual combat and spy operations.
The Yemeni forces have acted as a supportive front for Palestinians by carrying out multiple strikes against "Israel" in the occupied territories since its 11-month war on Gaza began.
The most recent and daring attack on the occupation occurred on Sunday against an Israeli military site in Tel Aviv with a newly developed hypersonic ballistic missile.
On the same day, the leader of the country's Ansar Allah Resistance movement reiterated Yemen's support for Palestinians during the Israeli genocide, asserting operation would continue until the occupation forces agreed to a ceasefire.
Sayyed al-Houthi warns enemies: 'What is coming is far greater'
The leader of the Yemeni Ansar Allah movement, Sayyed Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, confirmed that Sunday's operation, which was carried out with a high-tech missile, succeeded in bypassing all the enemy's defense systems, despite covering a distance of about 2,040 km.
Addressing the million-man marches across Yemen on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad, Sayyed al-Houthi confirmed that the operation was carried out by the Yemeni missile force using a new advanced home-grown missile, affirming that "it is part of the fifth phase of escalation [against the Israeli enemy]."
With this, the Yemeni leader rules out the operation being the response "Israel" has been anticipating for the past two months to retaliate against the Israeli aggression on Hodeidah.
"What is coming is far greater, God willing," he promised.
Meanwhile, Sayyed al-Houthi assured that the Yemeni forces shall continue their battle at sea against vessels linked with the Israeli, American, and British enemies, "conducting operations that are successful and highly effective."
He added that coordination with the different fronts of the Axis of Resistance is ongoing, vowing that the Yemeni operations will continue as long as the aggression and siege on Gaza are not ended.
"We remain steadfast on our position until Palestine is cleansed from the grip of the occupation," the Yemeni leader stated.
