Yemen
Pentagon: Houthis shot down US drone over Red Sea
A US MQ-9 drone is seen during an air show at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan. That model is said to have been shot down with a rocket by Houthi rebels.
© Massoud Hossaini / MH / AP / DPA
A US MQ-9 Reaper drone crashed into the sea off the coast of Yemen after apparently being hit by a missile fired by the Houthi rebels, according to the US Department of Defense.
The Houthis had already shot down a US military MQ-9 drone in November. When asked, Singh said there was an increase in attacks by the Houthi militia on US armed forces and merchant shipping over the weekend.
Houthi militia in solidarity with Hamas
The Houthi militia in Yemen repeatedly targets ships in the Red Sea in the wake of the Gaza war between Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas. The Iranian-backed militia says it is acting in solidarity with Hamas and is directing its attacks off the Yemeni coast on freighters with alleged Israeli connections.
The Red Sea is considered one of the most important shipping routes for world trade because it connects the Mediterranean with the Indian Ocean via the Suez Canal in Egypt. The USA and Great Britain have recently attacked Houthi targets in Yemen.