Houthis claim to down US drone. President Donald Trump declares Yemeni rebel group ‘decimated’ by air strike campaign.
The United States military launched a series of air attacks on Yemen overnight, targeting Houthi rebels.
Strikes hit an area near the capital, Sanaa, as well as the northern province of Saada early on Tuesday as the US extended a bombing campaign against targets in Yemen that began in mid-March and has killed dozens of people.
The Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV reported that US forces launched 15 raids on the northern province of Saada, including the city of Saada and the districts of Majz and Sahar. Mount Nabi Shuaib, in the Bani Matar district of Sanaa province, was also reported to have been targeted.
There was no immediate report of casualties. The Houthis have said the recent wave of US bombardments has killed at least 61 people in Yemen since they started on March 15.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) published two videos on social media, showing fighter jets taking off and missiles being launched from an aircraft carrier.
The Houthis claimed to have downed a US MQ-9 drone over the central province of Marib, home to oil and gas fields, overnight.
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Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the rebels targeted the drone with “a suitable locally manufactured missile”.
While Iran denies arming the Houthis, the US and Israel insist that Tehran is supplying the Yemeni rebels with weapons that they have used to target shipping in the Red Sea, and Iranian-manufactured weaponry has been located on the battlefield.
The US launched its military campaign after the Houthis threatened to resume their attacks on regional shipping, citing Israel’s blockade on aid entering the Gaza Strip.
It has not issued an immediate response to the claim that the Houthis hit a drone, but President Donald Trump on Monday issued a new warning to the Houthis and Iran, claiming that the Yemeni group has “been decimated” by the air strike campaign.
“Many of their Fighters and Leaders are no longer with us,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “We hit them every day and night – Harder and harder. Their capabilities that threaten Shipping and the Region are rapidly being destroyed. Our attacks will continue until they are no longer a threat to Freedom of Navigation.”
The Houthis targeted more than 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two vessels and killing four sailors from November 2023 until January this year. They also launched attacks targeting US warships, though none has been hit so far.