Yemen’s Houthi group claims its military capabilities remain resilient despite sustained U.S. air operations. Over the past two weeks alone, they have downed four U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drones, with the latest incident occurring in Hajjah province, northwestern Yemen. This marks the 19th drone allegedly brought down by the group since November 2023.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea delivered the announcement on al-Masirah TV, a channel controlled by the group. According to Sarea, the drone was hit with a domestically produced surface-to-air missile. He asserted that American offensives had not weakened their defensive strength. “The ongoing U.S. aggression has not crippled our forces,” Sarea said.
He also tied the group’s operations to their support for Palestinians, saying that military actions would persist until “Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip stops and the siege on it is lifted.”
The U.S. resumed its aerial strikes against the Houthis on March 15, targeting their facilities in a bid to curb further threats to U.S. and Israeli maritime interests in the Red Sea. The Houthis, aligning themselves with the Palestinian cause, have since launched a series of attacks focused on Israeli-linked targets.
The downed MQ-9 drone, worth over $30 million, adds to a growing list of high-value U.S. assets struck by Yemeni forces. These incidents signal what appears to be an increasingly sophisticated level of warfare by the Houthis.
Beyond drones, the group claims to have targeted significant Israeli military infrastructure. This includes two ballistic missile launches — one reportedly hypersonic — aimed at an Israeli military base and Ben-Gurion Airport. A Yemeni drone was also used to strike a vital Israeli facility.
While critics question the credibility of some of these claims, the pattern of strikes has undoubtedly raised concerns about the Houthis’ expanding reach and persistent military threat in the region.
