SANAA, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi group said on Friday that it had shot down a "U.S. MQ-9 spy drone" over the Yemeni central province of Marib.
"The plane was targeted by a locally made surface-to-air missile, and the video showing scenes will be broadcast later," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.
He did not say exactly when the drone was shot down.
"This is the fourth plane of the same type that we had shot down since we began our military operations in the Red Sea in support of Gaza," Sarea noted.
The U.S. military has yet to respond to the incident.
The Houthi rebels, who control several cities in northern Yemen, began last November to launch anti-ship ballistic missiles and drones targeting what they said were Israeli-linked ships transiting the Red Sea to show solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The U.S.-British naval coalition stationed in the waters has since January conducted air raids and missile strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen to deter the group. However, the Houthis, in retaliation, have subsequently expanded their attacks to include U.S. and British ships. ■
