Pentagon confirms Houthi rebels' bold move: US Military drone shot down in Yemen dkies
7:12 AM EST, November 9, 2023
The Pentagon has confirmed that Houthi rebels in Yemen shot down a US military drone. This incident takes place amid the recent repositioning of a portion of the US fleet to the Middle East due to the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
The Shiite Houthi movement in Yemen, which is supported by Iran, was the first to announce the downing of the American drone on Wednesday. The rebels have joined the fight against Israel and have carried out several missile and drone attacks targeting the country.
This marks another incident in the escalating tensions between the US and the Houthi rebels. Last month, a US Navy warship intercepted rockets and drones launched by the Yemeni rebels towards Israel.
In the face of growing regional tensions due to the Israel-Hamas war, the US has moved military resources, including aircraft carriers, marines, and auxiliary ships, to the Middle East. This includes soldiers stationed on military ships in the Red Sea.
Iran supports the Houthi rebels in Yemen, who are involved in a long-drawn civil war against the official Yemen government - backed by Saudi Arabia, an Iranian rival - which began in 2014.
The deputy leader of the Lebanese Hezbollah, another group supported by Iran in the region, told the BBC earlier this week that the killing of civilians in Gaza by Israel risks igniting a wider war in the Middle East.
The US destroys facility in Syria
The Pentagon reported that it launched attacks on a facility in eastern Syria on Wednesday. According to the US, this facility was used by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and associated groups.
A high-rank official indicated that these attacks, which are the second in recent weeks, were in response to attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria.
