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Yemeni air defenses intercept, shoot down US MQ-9 Reaper drone over Bayda province

Tuesday, 21 May 2024 11:06 AM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 21 May 2024 11:06 AM ]

This file picture shows a US Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone in flight. (Photo via social media)

The spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) says the country’s air defense units have successfully shot down an American MQ-9 Reaper drone while it was conducting hostile activities in the airspace over the central province of Bayda.

Yahya Saree said in a televised statement on Tuesday that the unmanned aerial vehicle was targeted with a locally made surface-to-air missile, and that footage of shootdown will be released later.

According to Saree, this is the fifth aircraft that the Yemeni air defenses have shot down since the start of the operations in support of Palestinians in Gaza amid the Israeli regime’s genocidal war.

The spokesperson affirmed that Yemeni Armed Forces will continue to enhance their defense capabilities in order to confront the joint US-British aggression against their homeland, and will carry on conducting pro-Palestine operations until the Israeli aggression against Gaza ceases and the all-out siege on the coastal sliver is fully lifted.

The US military did not immediately acknowledge the shooting down.

Back on May 17, Saree said Yemeni forces had downed another US MQ-9 Reaper drone over the southeastern province of Ma’rib.

Yemen downs advanced $30 million US spy drone over Ma’rib

Yemen’s army says it has shot down an American spy drone by “a locally-made missile” in the province of Ma’rib, amid escalating tensions in the region over Israel’s US-backed genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.

The Yemeni Armed Forces have staged numerous pro-Palestinian strikes since October 7, when the Israeli regime began the Gaza war.

American and British warships have been carrying out attacks against the Arab Peninsula nation as means of trying to halt strikes that it has been conducting against Israeli vessels or those heading towards the ports lying in the occupied Palestinian territories.

At least 35,562 Palestinians have been killed and 79,652 others wounded in the brutal Israeli military onslaught that was launched following Al-Aqsa Storm, a retaliatory operation staged by Gaza’s resistance groups.

The US has been the main supporter of Israel, proving it with munitions and political support in its brutal war on Gaza. Washington has also used its veto power to protect Israel against UN resolutions.

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