DUBAI, Emiratos \u00c1rabes Unidos \u2013 Otro dron estadounidense MQ-9 Reaper cay\u00f3 en Yemen, seg\u00fan supuestamente muestran im\u00e1genes en l\u00ednea el mi\u00e9rcoles, mientras\u00a0los rebeldes hut\u00edes de Yemen\u00a0continuaban atacando barcos alrededor del Mar Rojo por la\u00a0guerra entre Israel y Hamas.<\/p>\n
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates \u2014 Another U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone went down in Yemen, images online purported to show Wednesday, as\u00a0Yemen\u2019s Houthi rebels<\/a>\u00a0continued attacks on shipping around the Red Sea over the\u00a0Israel-Hamas war<\/a>.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t immediately clear what brought down the drone, but the U.S. military\u2019s Central Command acknowledged seeing \u201creports\u201d of the aircraft being downed in a desert region of Yemen\u2019s central Marib province. It marked potentially the\u00a0third such downing this month alone<\/a>.<\/p>\n Images published online and analyzed by The Associated Press showed the MQ-9 on its belly in the barren desert, its tail assembly disconnected from the rest of its body. At least one hatch on the drone appeared to have been opened after it landed there, though the drone remained broadly intact without any clear blast damage. One image included Wednesday\u2019s date. Noticeably, the drone did not appear to carry any markings on it.<\/p>\n Authorities in Marib, which remains held by allies of Yemen\u2019s exiled government, did not immediately acknowledge the drone. Nor did the Houthis, who previously have shot down MQ-9 drones during the war.<\/p>\n A U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters, told the AP that \u201cthe U.S. Air Force has not lost any aircraft operating within U.S. Central Command\u2019s area of responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n The official declined to elaborate.<\/p>\n Other American paramilitary forces have flown the drone in Yemen.<\/p>\n Located 75 miles east of Sanaa, Marib sits on the edge of the Arabian Peninsula\u2019s Empty Quarter Desert at the foot of the Sarawat Mountains running along the Red Sea. The province has seen U.S. drones previously brought down there, in part because\u00a0the region remains crucial for the outcome of Yemen\u2019s yearslong war<\/a>.<\/p>\n Since Yemen\u2019s civil war started in 2014, when the Houthis seized most of the country\u2019s north and its capital of Sanaa, the U.S. military has lost at least five drones to the rebels. This month alone, there\u2019s been two others suspected shootdowns of Reapers that the American military hasn\u2019t confirmed.<\/p>\n Reapers cost around $30 million apiece. They can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet (about 15,000 meters) and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land.<\/p>\n The Houthis in recent months have stepped up attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, demanding that Israel end the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians there. The\u00a0war began after Hamas-led militants<\/a>\u00a0attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking some 250 hostage.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks<\/a>\u00a0on shipping, seized one vessel and sunk another since November, according to the U.S. Maritime Administration.<\/p>\n Shipping through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has declined because of the threat.<\/p>\n On Wednesday, Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree acknowledged the rebels\u00a0attacked the bulk carrier Laax on Tuesday<\/a>. Saree also claimed a number of other attacks on vessels that have not reported assaults without offering any evidence to support his claim. Saree in the past has exaggerated Houthi attacks.<\/p>\n