Houthi Militants Claim They Have Downed American-Made Drone Over Yemen

The civil war in Yemen continues to rage on, with the Houthis regularly attacking neighbouring Saudi Arabia in response to strikes by the Saudi-led coalition against the militants.

The TV channel Almasirah, founded by the Houthi movement, reported that the group has downed a drone made in the US.

"Our air defence forces managed to shoot down an American reconnaissance drone of the ScanEagle type, using a surface-to-air missile", Almasirah claimed on Sunday, citing a statement made by a representative of the Houthi Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Sariya.

A Houthi rebel fighter fires in the air during a gathering aimed at mobilizing more fighters for the Houthi movement, in Sanaa, Yemen

© AP Photo / Hani Mohammed

According to the report, the UAV was hit in the Sirvah region of the northern province of Marib, where the fighting continues between the movement and the forces, loyal to the government of President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. 

The region has been dealing with military clashes since February, as the civil war that broke out in 2014, continues to rage on in Yemen. A coalition of several Arab states, led by Saudi Arabia, entered the conflict in 2015 at the request of Hadi, who fled to Riyadh in March 2015.