On Monday, the Houthi group announced that it had shot down an American spy plane in the Marib Governorate, central Yemen.
This came in a brief statement issued by the Houthi military spokesman, Yahya Saree, which The Eastern Herald reviewed.
Saree said: “The (Houthis) air defenses managed this morning to shoot down an American spy plane (Scan Eagle) with a suitable weapon (unspecified).”
He added, “The plane was shot down while it was carrying out (unspecified) hostile acts in the airspace of the Madghal District in the Ma’rib Governorate,” without details.
There was no comment from the Yemeni or American authorities on the matter until 10:20 (GMT).
Since the beginning of last February 2021, the Houthis have intensified their attacks in Marib to take control of it, as it is the most important stronghold of the government and the headquarters of the Yemeni Ministry of Defense, in addition to its enjoyment of oil and gas wealth, as well as containing the Marib gas station, which before the war supplied most of the governorates with electricity.
Yemen has been witnessing a war for nearly 7 years, which has killed more than 233,000 people, and 80 percent of the population, numbering about 30 million, has become dependent on support and aid, in the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, according to the United Nations.
The conflict has had regional spillovers, since March 2015, as a coalition led by the neighboring Saudi Arabia has carried out military operations in support of the government forces, in the face of the Iranian-backed Houthis, who control several governorates, including the capital, Sanaa.
