Houthis Claim US Drone Shot Down Over Yemen's Marib

(MENAFN) Houthi forces in Yemen downed a US MQ-9 Reaper drone over the eastern Marib Governorate, local media reported Monday, in what would mark a significant strike against American surveillance and counterterrorism assets in the region.

Residents in Marib city reported hearing loud explosions overhead as an air defense missile was launched from the Sarwah area west of the city, followed by two mid-air blasts, according to local outlets including the Defense Line platform.

Images circulating on social media — purportedly showing debris from the American drone and its missile payload scattered across a desert area east of the Wadi district — were widely shared by activists, the reports noted.

Defense Line identified particularly significant ordnance among the wreckage, saying the circulated images showed at least two remnants of AGM-114R9X "Ninja" missiles — a modified variant of the Hellfire air-to-ground missile engineered for precision strikes.

The platform confirmed the debris belonged to a US MQ-9 Reaper drone, an unmanned aircraft deployed by the US "for surveillance and counterterrorism operations in Yemen."

Neither the Houthi group nor the US military has issued any comment regarding the reported incident.

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