Yemen's Houthis claimed downed another US MQ-9 drone in 24 hours

Sanaa, April 20 (IANS) Yemen's Houthi group said that it shot down another US-made MQ-9 drone over Sanaa province in the past 24 hours.

"The drone was shot down, using a locally manufactured surface-to-air missile," Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

"This is the second drone our air defences had successfully shot down in 24 hours ... and the 21st we had downed since November 2023," he said.

According to al-Masirah TV, a video footage of the drone will be broadcast later in the day.

Sarea affirmed the group's support for the Palestinians, saying its operations will continue "until the Israeli aggression on Gaza stops and the siege on it is lifted."

On Friday, Sarea claimed the Houthi group shot down a US MQ-9 drone, the 20th it had downed since November 2023, Xinhua news agency reported.

The US side has not commented on the Houthi claims yet.

Tensions between the Houthi group and the United States have intensified since Washington resumed airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen on March 15, after the group announced plans to resume attacks on Israeli targets, citing Israel's blockade of humanitarian aid to Gaza as the reason.

Earlier on Saturday, the US army launched 29 fresh airstrikes on Houthi targets in northern Yemen, while Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, head of the Houthi Revolutionary Committee, vowed to retaliate.

--IANS

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