By Eric Vandenbroeck and co-workers

The Houthis Struck Back

Houthi rebels in Yemen are again shooting down U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drones. The designated terror group shot down seven Reapers over less than six weeks, according to Fortune.

The loss of these massive drones reportedly cost the Pentagon more than $200 million as the Trump administration ramps up military efforts in the Red Sea, aiming to eliminate the threat of Houthi rebels in the vital trade corridor.

U.S. defense officials told Fortune that three drones were taken out in the past week, with the latest one hit on Tuesday, April 22, signifying that the Houthis are more adept than ever at targeting unmanned aircraft. Officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity based on the sensitive nature of the information, said the drones struck were conducting either surveillance or “attack runs.” An investigation into the incidents remains ongoing, according to officials.

In 2024, the Iran-backed Houthis reportedly shot down multiple Reaper drones worth roughly $30 million each. The findings linked the enhanced Houthi capabilities to Tehran, providing the militants with air-missile defense systems. These systems are difficult for U.S. forces to detect, as they often lack a heat signature due to the absence of a radar system.

The latest revelations come as the Trump administration pursues a more aggressive military campaign against the rebels, launching daily strikes since the middle of March. President Donald Trump has vowed “overwhelming lethal force” against the militants to eliminate their capabilities to target vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

The Pentagon recently sent two Navy destroyers to the Red Sea and another to the Mediterranean Sea, allowing the U.S. to conduct airstrikes while remaining far enough away to avoid enemy attacks.

U.S. attacks struck hundreds of targets, including weapons facilities and air defense systems, which Fortune reported resulted in the deaths of many rebels and several leaders, according to a U.S. military official.

The enhanced war efforts cost the U.S. nearly $1 billion in the first three weeks of the new campaign, CNN reported. Some defense officials also warned that the renewed focus on Yemen threatens to take attention away from the Indo-Pacific region and could hurt America’s ability to counter aggression from Beijing.

Critics also questioned whether the operations will truly eliminate the threat of Houthis in the Red Sea, as they withstood military campaigns from the U.S. under the Biden administration and Saudi Arabia over the years.

Dave Eastburn, a spokesperson for the U.S. Central Command, cited successes in recent operations. He told CNN, “Houthi ballistic missile attacks have dropped by 87% while their one-way drones have decreased by 65%” since the U.S. ramped up airstrikes. He also contended that more drones being shot down by Houthi rebels may be the result of increased “operation tempo,” and that Central Command is still looking into “the circumstances” surrounding “each incident.”

Eastburn added, “The U.S. will take every measure possible to protect our troops, equipment, and interests in the region.”

 

Sanaa Today

Additionally, the Reaper drone losses have reportedly compromised the United States’ ability to launch “phase two” of the military campaign, as the unmanned aircraft scout out locations for attacks and provide valuable intelligence for plans of action. The U.S. relies on these drones in the absence of troops on the ground in Yemen. Reapers are also capable of launching Hellfire missiles.

U.S. lawmakers have also expressed concern over civilian casualties from American airstrikes in Yemen. Multiple Democratic senators wrote to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Thursday, April 24, asking whether the Trump administration is “abandoning the measures necessary to meet its obligations to reduce civilian harm.” Their letter came in the wake of U.S. strikes on a fueling facility in Yemen, which Fortune reported killed dozens of civilians.

Along with air-defense systems targeting sophisticated U.S. unmanned aircraft, Houthis have also increased missile and drone attacks aimed at U.S. warships in the Red Sea, all of which failed to hit.

The US military says the attack aimed to restrict supplies and funds for the Iran-backed Houthis

US air strikes on a key oil terminal on Yemen's Red Sea coast controlled by the Houthi movement have killed at least 74 people and wounded 171 others, the Houthi-run health ministry says. 

The US military said it had destroyed Ras Isa "to eliminate this source of fuel for the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists and deprive them of illegal revenue".

 The Houthi-led government in north-west Yemen said the terminal was a civilian facility and that the strikes constituted a "war crime".

According to Houthis, the United States has conducted more than 1,000 airstrikes across Yemen since mid-March, as part of a broader American military campaign ordered by President Donald Trump.

On April 27, three Russian sailors were injured when US forces conducted airstrikes on a vessel at Yemen’s Ras Isa oil port in the country’s province of Hodeidah on the Red Sea, the Houthi group announced.

In a statement posted on the social media platform X, Jamal Amer, foreign minister of the unrecognized Houthi government in Sanaa, condemned the “US aggression” against a ship attempting to unload oil cargo at the port.

“The US airstrikes yesterday targeted a ship anchored in Ras Isa port to prevent it from unloading an oil shipment, resulting in the injury of three Russian sailors,” Amer said. “Our Coast Guard personnel intervened immediately to rescue them and transport them for medical treatment.”

Amer said the incident undermined US claims about targeting military installations and revealed the falsehood behind US President Donald Trump’s assertions that US airstrikes “are aimed at Sanaa’s military capabilities.”

Meanwhile, Houthi-controlled health authorities said in a statement that at least eight people were wounded on Saturday night when a US airstrike hit a house in a residential neighborhood in Sanaa.

Two children were among the injured from the airstrike at the house in the Al-Rawda neighbourhood in northern Sanaa, the authorities said.

Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported more than 20 US airstrikes on other locations in Sanaa, and the provinces of Saada, Marib, Hodeidah, as well as Al-Jawf throughout Saturday.

The US airstrikes come as the Houthis claimed responsibility early on Saturday for attacking three targets in Israel, using a ballistic missile and two drones.

The Israel Defense Forces said in a post on X earlier in the day that a projectile fired from Yemen triggered sirens in southern Israel, but didn’t comment on the alleged drone attacks.

US strikes on Yemen oil terminal kill at least 74, Houthis say.

Also on Saturday, April 26, the Houthis claimed they launched a fresh drone attack against the USS Harry S. Truman in the northern Red Sea.

The Houthis said the attack against the aircraft carrier was in response to the ongoing US airstrikes on the group’s positions. The US military has yet to comment on the attack.

The United States has intensified airstrikes against Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen since mid-March.

In response, the Houthi group launched multiple attacks on the US aircraft carriers and other US warships in the Red Sea.

Several hours after the strikes on Ras Isa, the Israeli military said it had intercepted a missile launched from Yemen.  

Sirens sounded in several Israeli areas, but there were no reports of any casualties or damage.

 

 

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