Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree announced Tuesday that the rebel forces' air defenses, operating with Iranian backing, successfully downed an American MQ-9 drone while it was conducting "hostile reconnaissance and combat operations" in the airspace over Saada province in Yemen.
In a video statement released by the Houthis, Saree emphasized that this was the second drone of the same model shot down within 72 hours and the ninth drone in total since the Houthis "officially joined the Palestinian cause."
As in previous statements, Saree declared that Houthi forces would "continue to act until the attacks stop and the blockade on Gaza is lifted."
In his statement Tuesday morning, Saree also emphasized the "unity of the fronts operating against Israel" and praised the Jordanian terrorist Maher Dhiab Hussein al-Jazi, who killed three Israelis in Sunday's terror attack at the Allenby Crossing, north of the Dead Sea.
On Saturday, approximately 72 hours ago, Saree issued another official statement claiming the downing of a U.S. drone in the Marib province of Yemen, which he said had been "conducting hostile operations in the airspace."
The video published in May by the Houthis
In May, the Houthis also claimed to have intercepted a U.S. drone of the same model using a locally made surface-to-air missile. Videos of the drone crashing were circulated on local networks, and the Houthis released an official video showing the downing of the aircraft.