- Houthi rebels say they downed a US MQ-9 Reaper drone in Yemen, adding it's the eighth one in a year.
- Debates continue over the MQ-9's cost, efficiency, and vulnerability in contested airspaces.
- The US Navy said military force alone would not be enough to stop the Houthis.
Houthi rebels claim to have shot down another MQ-9 Reaper drone in Yemen.
In an X post on Saturday, Ameen Hayyan, the director of the Yemeni Armed Forces Spokesperson's Office, said Yemeni air defenses shot down the aircraft while it was carrying out "hostile" activities above the Ma'rib Governate in western Yemen.
He added this was the eighth MQ-9 Reaper that the Yemeni Air Forces had shot down since the start of what he called the "Battle of the Promised Victory" and the "Holy Jihad" in support of Gaza.
The Houthis have been using one-way attack drones, naval drones, and anti-ship missiles to target commercial ships and American warships in the Red Sea as part of a campaign to exert pressure on Israel and the West since the beginning of the war in Gaza.
The Houthi rebels did not post a picture, video, or evidence of this latest claimed shootdown on their social media channels.
A Department of Defense official told BI that they are aware of the report but said that as of Monday they had received no reports of any DOD assets being downed.
This is not the first time the Houthis have claimed to have taken down a MQ-9 Reaper drone.
In May, the Associated Press reported a US MQ-9 Reaper drone — worth $30 million — came down in Yemen, the third in just a month, citing a video of the shootdown.
The Iran-backed militant group has also targeted more than 80 commercial ships in the waters close to Yemen over the last 10 months, capturing one and sinking two.
Military experts told BI in June that these achievements show that the Houthis are learning lessons from their repeated attacks on the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden shipping lanes, and that they are still receiving support from Iran, their primary military and financial backer.
US warships and aircraft, meanwhile, have repeatedly targeted Houthi missiles and drones, as well as assets like radar sites.
Top US officials have said that these efforts are intended to strip the Houthis of their ability to conduct attacks and ensure safe maritime navigation in the Red Sea.
However, despite the launch of the US-led Operation Prosperity Guardian in December, and the deployment of several warships, the conflict shows no signs of ending.
Speaking at an event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank last month, Vice Adm. George Wikoff, the commander of US Naval Forces Central Command, said that dealing with the Houthis would require more than just force and firepower.
Instead, he said the US and its allies must find alternative ways to apply pressure on the group.
"We have certainly degraded their capability. There's no doubt about that," Wikoff said. "However, have we stopped them? No."
