US military acknowledges Yemen's Houthi rebels shot down 2 MQ-9 Reaper drones

abcnews.go.com:

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have shot down two American MQ-9 Reaper drones in under a week, further highlighting the regional spread of the Israel-Hamas war

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Yemen's Houthi rebels shot down two American MQ-9 Reaper drones in under a week, the United States military acknowledged Wednesday, further highlighting the regional spread of the Israel-Hamas war.

As the one-year anniversary of the war approaches, Houthis continue a campaign to target ships traveling through the Red Sea as U.S.-led airstrikes pound their positions in Yemen. That's imperiled a waterway that typically sees $1 trillion of trade pass through it, as well as crucial shipments of aid to war-torn Sudan and Yemen.

The U.S. military said Houthis shot down the first Reaper on Sept. 10, and the second on Monday. Online video showed the downing and the flaming wreckage on the ground afterward in Yemen's Dhamar province.

General Atomics Reapers, which cost around $30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet (15,240 meters) and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land. The aircraft have been flown by both the U.S. military and the CIA over Yemen for years.

U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon's press secretary, said authorities continue to investigate Monday's downing, but declined to elaborate. He added that a claim by the Houthis that they shot down 10 Reapers since the start of their campaign in November over the Israel-Hamas war was “not accurate.”

“For operation security reasons, I’m not going to be able to provide a specific number,” Ryder said Tuesday.

Since Houthis seized the country’s north and its capital of Sanaa in 2014, the U.S. military has