The American MK-9 Reaper drone crashed this week off the coast of Yemen and was probably shot down by Houthi rebels, an American official said. The exact cause is being investigated.
The Iran-backed Houthis have downed two more MK-9s since November, the first in early November and then another in February. Each drone costs roughly $30 million, according to the Congressional Research Service.
The drones flying off the coast of Yemen are part of the US military’s effort to help defend commercial and military ships from ongoing attacks by the Houthis.
From the outbreak Israel’s conflict with Hamas, the Houthis have attacked or threatened more than 100 commercial or military ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The Houthis claim their attacks are a protest against Israel’s war against Hamas and US support for Israel, but US officials point out that many of the ships targeted by the group have no ties to Israel.
As a countermeasure, the US and the UK, supported by other countries, launched four rounds of joint airstrikes to destroy Houthi infrastructure in Yemen. In addition, the US military regularly conducts self-defense strikes against missiles and drones when it sees the Houthis preparing to attack.
The US has also launched a naval defense operation, dubbed Operation Prosperous Guardian, with more than 20 partner nations to defend commercial shipping from Houthi attacks.
So far, only one Houthi attack has resulted in death. An attack in March on a Liberian-owned merchant ship killed two crew members.
The pace of attacks has slowed in recent weeks, but attacks still continue, including on Thursday, when the Houthis launched an anti-ship ballistic missile into the Gulf of Aden. US Central Command announced that there were no injuries or damage in that attack.
(News)
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