Yemen’s Houthis shot down US drone in Marib: report

The Houthi group in Yemen shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone in the country’s eastern Marib Governorate, local media reported Monday.

Residents heard loud explosions over Marib city while observing the launch of an air defense missile from the Sarwah area west of the city, followed by two explosions in the air, local media outlets, including the Defense Line platform, said.

Activists on social media circulated images purportedly showing debris from the American drone and its missile payload scattered in a desert area east of the Wadi district, according to the reports.

Defense Line said the circulated images showed at least two remnants of AGM-114R9X “Ninja” missiles, a modified version of the Hellfire air-to-ground missile designed for precision strikes.

The images confirmed the wreckage belonged to a US MQ-9 Reaper drone, an unmanned aircraft used by the US “for surveillance and counterterrorism operations in Yemen,” the platform added.

There was no comment from the Houthis or the US military regarding the reported incident.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul