Yemen Monitor/Sana’a/Special:
Yahya Saree, the military spokesman for the Houthis, said on Saturday that the group had downed a US MQ-9 drone over Al Bayda governorate (central Yemen).
Last September, the Houthis announced that they had downed a US MQ-9 drone in the same governorate, the tenth since November last year, since they began supporting Gaza.
According to Houthi media, their forces downed the first drone of the same type since they began supporting Gaza on November 8 last year, in the airspace of territorial waters, while the second was downed on February 19 in the airspace of Hodeidah governorate in the west of the country, the third on April 26 in the airspace of Sa’ada governorate in the north, the fourth on May 16 in the airspace of Marib governorate in the northeast, the fifth on May 21 in the airspace of Al Bayda governorate in the center, the sixth on May 29 in the airspace of Marib governorate, the seventh on August 4 in the airspace of Sa’ada governorate, the eighth on September 7 in the airspace of Marib governorate, the ninth on September 10 in the airspace of Sa’ada governorate, and the tenth on September 16 in the airspace of Dhamar governorate.
MQ-9 drones, which cost around $30 million each, can fly at altitudes of up to 50,000 feet (15,240 meters) and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land. These drones have been flown over Yemen by the US military and the CIA for years, according to the Associated Press.
