Sanaa: The Houthis announced today, Wednesday, that they had downed an American MQ-9 drone in the airspace of Al-Jawf Governorate, northern Yemen. Yahya Saree, the group’s official spokesman, confirmed in a military statement that the drone “was carrying out hostile and intelligence operations” when it was shot down by a locally manufactured surface-to-air missile.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Saree indicated that this is the third drone to be downed in 10 days, and the eighteenth since the start of the “Battle of Promised Victory and Holy Jihad” in support of Gaza. He warned of “the consequences of the continued US-Zionist aggression,” stressing that “the Yemeni armed forces will not hesitate to respond to any attack.”

This comes amid the ongoing escalation between the Houthis and US forces in the region, with Washington accusing the group of targeting its interests and international shipping lanes.