Afrasianet - Fox News quoted an informed source as saying that the number of US drones shot down by the Houthis since the start of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023 could reach more than 20.
Sources told Fox News that the Houthis shot down an American MQ-9 Reaper in Yemen earlier yesterday, the sixth MQ-9 shot down by the Houthis since March 3 and during the administration of President Donald Trump, and each aircraft costs about $30 million, according to reports.
This is reportedly the fifth U.S. aircraft of this type to fall over Yemen since U.S. Central Command began daily airstrikes on the Houthis on March 15.
The U.S. military has reportedly carried out 35 consecutive days of bombing, yet the Houthis continue to fire missiles to bring down these expensive U.S. assets, continue to fire ballistic missiles into Israel, and most international shipping operations in the Red Sea have not resumed.
Each MQ-9 costs about $30 million, according to the Congressional Research Service.
The Houthis have shot down at least 16 U.S. drones since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began in October 2023.
But an informed source said the number could reach more than 20 planes shot down since October 2023.
Demand for Reaper jets is on the rise, with U.S. military commanders told there aren't enough for commanders of their combat units.
The loss of more than 16 MQ-9 Reaper jets is worth more than $500 million.
A U.S. defense official told Fox News that as of December 2024, the U.S. had 230 MQ-9s in its arsenal.
Ansar Allah spokesman Yahya Saree said in a statement Friday: "Our air defenses succeeded in shooting down a US type MQ_9 aircraft while it was carrying out hostile acts in the airspace of Sanaa province."
Since March 15, U.S. forces have carried out hundreds of raids on Yemen, killing and injuring hundreds of people, mostly children and women.
The raids come after US President Donald Trump ordered his country's military to launch a "major offensive" against the Houthi group before threatening to "completely eliminate it".
The pace of military operations between the United States and the Houthis has escalated since mid-March, after Ansar Allah announced the resumption of the ban on the passage of Israeli ships in the Red Sea and the Arab "in support of the Palestinians in Gaza."