Ansarallah shoots down a US MQ-9 drone while the US escalates airstrikes across Yemeni provinces, with casualties reported.
The Yemeni movement Ansarallah has announced the downing of an American MQ-9 reconnaissance drone, amid ongoing US airstrikes on the capital, Sanaa, and other Yemeni provinces.
Yahya Saree, the group’s military spokesperson, stated on Thursday that Yemeni air defenses shot down the US MQ-9 drone using a locally made surface-to-air missile while it was conducting hostile operations over Al Hudaydah Governorate.
Saree also confirmed that this was the second drone shot down in 72 hours, and the 17th since the start of the “Battle of the Promised Victory”, in support of Gaza.
Yemeni Armed Forces: Another US MQ-9 drone downed over Al-Hodeidah with a locally made missile—the second in 72 hours, the 17th since the start of the Battle of the Promised Victory. Operations in support of Gaza will not stop until the siege is lifted. #Yemen #Gaza pic.twitter.com/wAs1UzHmfP
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) April 3, 2025
The Pentagon did not immediately comment on the downing of the new reconnaissance aircraft.
The MQ-9 is a high-tech drone widely used by the US military to strike targets. Each drone costs $56 million, and its operating system is described as “predator” because it enables it to perform multiple missions.
In a related development, Ansarallah-affiliated media reported that a US drone bombed a car in the Majz district of Saada Governorate, northern Yemen, though no casualties were reported.
Yemeni media also reported that US warplanes launched a series of raids on the governorates of Saada, Al Hudaydah, and Sana’a. The strikes reportedly targeted the east and southeast of Saada city, with 17 raids in two waves.
In Al Hudaydah Governorate, the raids targeted the Ras Issa area in Al Salif, killing one person and wounding two others. In Sana’a, a civilian’s car was hit in the Qahza area, south of the city, resulting in one person being injured.
On March 15, US President Donald Trump announced that he had ordered his forces to launch a “major offensive” against Ansarallah, threatening to “completely eliminate” the group.
In response, Ansarallah asserted that Trump’s threat would not deter them from “continuing their support for Gaza,” noting that they had resumed shelling Israeli sites and targeting ships heading to Israel in the Red Sea.
Recent US airstrikes on Yemen have reportedly killed and injured dozens of civilians, including women and children, according to data from Ansarallah’s Ministry of Health.
(PC, AJA)
More power to Yemen. My US government has no business being there, murdering innocent people just like their bastard son
” Israel ” does. The only reason they’re doing this is because the Houthis are blocking shipping lanes so that the vessels have to circumnavigate the trade routes, to the tune of $Millions. The Trump administration is an embarassment, and a stain on American values. We The People need to vote them all out of office immediately.
Rashida Tlaib for POTUS!