Yemen's Houthis claim downing US MQ-9 drone

Sanaa, April 14 (IANS) Yemen's Houthi group announced that it had shot down another US MQ-9 drone, the 19th it has downed since November 2023.

"A US MQ-9 drone was shot down while carrying out hostile missions in the airspace of Hajjah province" in northwestern Yemen, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

Sarea added that the drone was downed by a locally manufactured surface-to-air missile, stressing "the ongoing US aggression" has not crippled the group's military capabilities.

The statement affirmed the group's support for the Palestinian people, saying its operations will continue "until the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip stops and the siege on it is lifted."

The United States resumed its air campaign against Houthi forces on March 15, stating that its strikes were aimed at deterring the group from launching attacks against Israeli and US naval assets in the Red Sea.

Meanwhile, the death toll from fresh US airstrikes on the western outskirts of Yemen's capital Sanaa has risen to six, with 13 others injured, Houthi-run health authorities said in an updated statement.

The strikes targeted a ceramic factory in the Bani Matar district, said residents and the health authorities. The roar of fighter jets was reportedly heard across Sanaa before and after the airstrikes.

Separately, US warplanes carried out two additional strikes in the northern provinces of Marib and Al-Jawf, according to Houthi-run al-Masirah TV. It noted that the latest air raids have brought the total number of US airstrikes across northern Yemen throughout the day to 25.

The Houthis, who control vast areas of northern Yemen, have been attacking Israeli targets since November 2023 to show solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

--IANS

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