It is the second American drone shot down by the Iran-backed militants.
February 20, 2024, 4:02 p.m. ET
• 4 min reading
An American MQ-9 Reaper flying near Yemen was shot down by Houthi fighters, a US official confirmed to ABC News and the Pentagon later on Tuesday.
In a statement on Monday, the Houthis said they had targeted the Reaper as well as two American ships in the Gulf of Aden.
A still image from a video released by the Houthis purporting to show the downing of a U.S. drone off Yemen, February 19, 2024. Houthi military media via Portal
This is its second Reaper shootdown, having shot down one in international airspace near Yemen in November.
The US has designated the Houthis a global terrorist organization as regional tensions rise and rockets and drones have been regularly deployed against each other since the war broke out in Gaza.
An MQ-9 Reaper flies a training mission over the Nevada Test and Training Range July 15, 2019. Airman 1st Class William Rio Rosado/US Air Force
The Pentagon said the drone, which was shot down by a surface-to-air missile, had not been recovered and that an investigation was underway.
Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh acknowledged that Houthi attacks are “increasingly sophisticated,” but stressed that “our dynamic attacks or coalition attacks are absolutely having an impact.”
Singh noted a “surge” in Iranian-backed Houthi activity over the weekend.
“If Iran is indeed playing a role with the Houthis, then it is not doing it,” she said, calling on Iranians to exert influence over the Houthis to curb tensions.
The U.S. carried out what it called five self-defense strikes against the Houthis on Sunday, one of which targeted an unmanned underwater vessel, the first submarine the Houthis said they have used since tensions rose in October.
The Coast Guard this month reported an interdiction that seized the components of the underwater drone that U.S. forces targeted on Sunday.
According to the Air Force, the remotely controlled Reaper is primarily responsible for intelligence gathering and costs more than $50 million.
ABC News' Anne Flaherty and Will Gretsky contributed to this report.