Pentagon Confirms MQ-9 Drone Loss Near Yemen

The Pentagon has confirmed the loss of another MQ-9 Reaper drone near Yemen, following claims by Iran-backed Houthi rebels that they had downed multiple such aircraft in recent days.
When asked about the Houthis’ claim that they had shot down 10 MQ-9s since last November, Ryder dismissed the number as “too high.”
Citing “operation security reasons,” Ryder declined to provide the exact number of drones, each costing around $30 million, lost in Yemen. But he emphasized that the Houthis’ figures were “not accurate.”
Since the Houthis seized Yemen’s northern territory and its capital of Sanaa in 2014, the U.S. military has seen Reapers shot down in the war-torn country in 2017, 2019, 2023, and this year.
The Houthis have described their maritime aggressions as acts of retaliation against Israel on behalf of Palestinians in Gaza, though many of their victims have no direct connection to the ongoing conflict.
One of the most recent and serious attacks in the Red Sea involved the MV Sounion, a Greek-owned and flagged tanker carrying about a million barrels of crude oil. On Aug. 21, the Houthi terrorists hit the ship with small arms, missiles, and an exploding drone boat before detonating explosives on board, sparking several fires.