On Tuesday the Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, claimed that they shot down another American MQ-9 Reaper drone while it was flying over Yemen.
"Our air defenses successfully shot down an American MQ-9 Reaper drone while it was carrying out hostile missions in the airspace of Maarib Governorate, using a suitable, locally made missile," a Houthi military statement said.
The US military has not yet confirmed that it lost a drone, but if accurate this would mark the 16th US MQ-9 drone that’s been downed in the region, as the Houthis announced.
While the Pentagon has acknowledged the loss of several drones since conducting anti-Houthi operations over the course of the last year, it has not specified or confirmed each and every downing, only leaving its sporadic statements vague.
If the Houthis have really downed 16 Reaper drones at this point, this would amount to nearly $500 million in lost military hardware, considering each MQ-9 is commonly estimated to cost the US about $30 million. Houthis statements throughout the war going back to Oct.7, 2023 tend to be accurate.
Each MQ-9 Reaper drone costs the US about $30 million, so if the Houthis’ number is accurate, that means the US has lost $480 million worth of drones.
The Houthi statement further confirmed ongoing US military action targeting Yemen, describing that the US had in the last hours "launched a number of raids on various areas, resulting in martyrs, injuries, and damage to citizens’ properties."
Meanwhile President Trump in his latest statements on the Yemen campaign asserted the Houthis have "been decimated" by the new waves of strikes which began on March 15.
Widely circulating Houthi video purporting to show the latest alleged drone downing...
❌The #Houthis have shot down another American #MQ9 #reaper drone worth over $30 million
— News.Az (@news_az)
This was reported on air by the representative of the Ansar Allah movement, Yahya Saria, on AI Masirah. pic.twitter.com/KZPX2G9XKk
"Many of their Fighters and Leaders are no longer with us," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "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."
Trump added: "The choice for the Houthis is clear: Stop shooting at U.S. ships, and we will stop shooting at you. Otherwise, we have only just begun, and the real pain is yet to come, for both the Houthis and their sponsors in Iran."
The Iran-supported Yemeni militants have vowed to continue fighting so long as Israeli's military is active in the Gaza Strip. So far there's been no hint they'll back down, even in the face of overwhelming US airstrikes.