The Houthis' military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, announced this morning (Wednesday) that the group successfully downed another American drone in the skies over the Marib province, Yamen, east of the capital Sanaa. According to Saree, the drone "engaged in hostile activities within the province's airspace and was brought down using a domestically-produced surface-to-air missile." Saree noted that this is the second drone to be downed in the last three days.
In recent years, the cost of a single MQ-9 drone has reached $32 million. The cumulative cost of 14 drones totals $448 million. In other words, if the Houthis indeed downed 14 drones of this model—not cheaper drones—the damage they have caused amounts to nearly half a billion dollars.
In recent days, the US-led coalition has conducted a series of strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. Yesterday, a weapons depot and the Defense Ministry's headquarters were attacked. However, a senior Houthi official claimed these sites are not typically occupied by the militia and declared that the strikes will not deter their attacks against Israel, which are intended to end the war in Gaza.
