Yemen’s Houthi rebels shot down a US drone, officials in Washington and the Iranian-backed rebel group have said.
A US official said that an MQ9 Reaper drone was shot down off the Yemeni coast by rebel Houthi forces, which was later confirmed by a spokesman for the military group.
The US official said the drone was operating in international airspace when it was shot down on Wednesday.
The incident comes after a US Navy warship, the USS Carney, intercepted missiles and drones fired by Houthi rebels towards Israel.
The rebel group, supported by Iran, has been locked in a civil war with Yemen’s official government, supported by Saudi Arabi, since 2014.
Washington is on alert for activity by Iran-backed groups in the Middle East as its close ally Israel - Iran's main adversary - battles Hamas in Gaza.Rockets have also been launched towards Israel by Hezbollah, another militant group backed by Iran amid fears of an escalating regional conflict.
Sheikh Naim Qassem, deputy in command of the militia, which is based in Lebanon, warned that if the bombing in Gaza continues in the region then “very serious and very dangerous developments could occur".
"The danger is real," he told the BBC. “Because Israel is increasing its aggression against civilians and killing more women and children.
“Is it possible for this to continue and increase without bringing real danger to the region? I think not.”
Iranian proxy groups have stepped up their attacks on US forces and assets in the Middle East in recent weeks following the Gaza conflict.
In response to attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria, the US said it had also carried out strikes on a facility in eastern Syria that it claimed was used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
In order to try and head off the prospect of a regional war, US Secretary of State Antony Bllinken held talks with a raft of countries in the region over the last week.
Speaking at a press conference in Tokyo following his Middle East diplomatic tour, Mr Blinken insisted that “there should be no reoccupation of Gaza after the conflict ends, no attempt to blockade or besiege Gaza and no reduction in the territory of Gaza”.
Mr Blinken said there may be a need for "some transition period" at the end of the conflict, but that post-crisis governance in Gaza must include Palestinian voices.
"It must include Palestinian-led governance and Gaza unified with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority,” he said.
Speaking at the G7 conference, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly indicated that the UK wanted a “peace-loving Palestinian leadership” in the Gaza strip and Israeli “security responsibility” in Gaza should only be temporary.
Separately, Palestinian officials said 10,569 people had been killed as of Wednesday, 40 per cent of them children. Israel says 33 of its soldiers have been killed.
