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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Vishwam Sankaran

US airstrikes kill six in Yemen as Houthis claim to have shot down another Reaper drone

Overnight American airstrikes killed at least six people and wounded dozens in Yemen’s Sanaa province, Houthi media reported on Monday.

A Yemeni news channel showed firefighters spraying water on a raging fire they said was caused by the latest airstrikes.

The Houthis, who rule much of the Arab nation, also claimed in a local news broadcast that they had shot down another American MQ-9 Reaper drone.

The US has not claimed responsibility for the attacks.

The Donald Trump administration last month intensified the American air campaign against Yemen, claiming it was intended to deter the Houthis from attacking shipping in the Red Sea.

The American attacks have killed dozens of civilians thus far.

The Houthis have effectively closed the Red Sea to Western shipping by attacking commercial and military vessels linked to Israel and its allies in retaliation for Israel’s war on Gaza.

The Yemenis had stopped the attacks after the US mediated a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas earlier this year, but renewed the campaign after Israeli forces enforced a total blockade on the supply of food aid, fuel and medicines to the besieged Palestinian territory at the start of March, ending the short-lived truce.

They have pledged to halt their military operations again if a truce was enforced in Gaza.

They reportedly targeted over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two and killing four sailors, between November 2023 and January this year.

They also launched attacks on American warships.

The US military campaign against Yemen under Mr Trump appears to be more extensive, dropping bombs on cities, than the one under former president Joe Biden, which reportedly targeted Houthis personnel and missile launch sites.

The military’s Central Command, which oversees operations in the region, has launched more than 200 strikes since 15 March, according to the White House. The attacks have killed at least 120 people in the country, according to the health ministry.

The Houthis separately claimed on Sunday that they had struck down an American MQ-9 Reaper drone in the northwest of the country near the border with Saudi Arabia.

A military spokesperson said the US drone was targeted by "a locally manufactured missile”.

The US Central Command said it was aware of "reports" of the shooting down of the drone, without elaborating any further.

The Yemenis also claimed responsibility for missiles launched towards an Israeli military base in the port city of Ashdod and the Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv.

Israel’s military said they believed the missiles were intercepted by its air defences.

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