Iran-backed Houtis shoots down third leader drone since early March
The yemenian houthis Another US MQ-9 Reaper drone was shot down, a source told Fox News.
This is the third drone that rebels have been shooting down since March 3rd, and the second shot down since the US began to launch daily strikes.
The United States has been bombing airstrikes for 20 days every day, but there have been few updates from the Trump administration regarding business situations. The Pentagon had not held a press conference in weeks, and the Department of Defense was quiet about the ongoing strike.
After weakening the strike, Trump told Houthis: Stop filming us and “We’ll stop shooting at you.”
President Donald Trump, posted on X on March 15, 2025, the White House is taking action against Hoosis to protect US shipping assets and stop the threat of terrorists. (White House)
Tuesday, State Department It announced sanctions on “financial facilitators, procurement operatives and companies operating as part of a global illegal financial network supporting Houthis.”
The State Department advocated sanctions after Houthis shot down the first Grim Reaper in early March, citing smuggled weapons as a reason for this.
The US has been conducting airstrikes on Yemen’s Houtsis for 20 consecutive days. (AP Image/Getty Images)
Trump’s vision set in Iran after US airstrikes destroy more than 30 Houthi targets
Late last month, national security adviser Mike Waltz spoke about the airstrikes in an interview with CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
“These guys are like al-Qaeda and ISIS, with advanced cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and some of the most sophisticated air defenses, all from Iran,” Waltz said. “Keeping Sea Lanes open and keeping trade and commerce open is a fundamental aspect of our national security,” he added.
The MQ-9 Reaper drone, equipped with customs and border security, is waiting for the next mission across the US-Mexico border at Fort Juachuca, Arizona in November 2022. (John Moore/Getty Images)
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Each MQ-9 Reaper drone costs around $30 million, according to Congressional Research Services. Houthis shot down 13 The 13 drones from October 2023, when the Israel-Hamas War began, sources have told Fox News that they could become as many as 17 Reapers.
The US had a 230 MQ-9 Reaper drone in its armory as of December 2024, the US Secretary of Defense told Fox News. These drones are primarily used to collect intelligence, but according to the US Air Force, they can be armed with up to eight laser guided Hellfire missiles.
Jennifer Griffin of Fox News contributed to this report.