Yemen Houthi rebels 'shoot down' second US spy plane in two days

Yemen's Houthi rebel group said Tuesday that it shot down a US reconnaissance drone in the central province of Marib, the second in two days.

Military spokesman of the group, Yahya Saree, claimed on Twitter that Houthi air defences had shot down a US Scan Eagle spy plane as it carried out "hostile operations" above Al-Mashjah, west of Marib.

تمكنت الدفاعات الجوية بفضل الله قبل قليل من إسقاط طائرة تجسسيةأمريكية نوع (سكان إيغل Scan Eagle) بصاروخ أرض جو في أجواء منطقة المشجح بمديرية صرواح بمحافظةمأرب.
وقد تم استهدافها أثناء تنفيذها لعمليات عدائية .

— العميد يحيى سريع (@army21ye) June 21, 2021

"The plane was targeted with a surface-to-air missile," he added, without giving further details.

There was no immediate comment on the matter from Washington or the Saudi-Emirati coalition forces fighting the Houthis by the time of publication.

Saree had announced on Sunday via Twitter that a US reconnaissance drone of the same type was shot down in the same region.

Fighting has flared in the strategic city of Marib in recent weeks between Houthis and government forces, leaving several fighters dead and wounded.

The Houthi offensive is focused on oil fields in the area.

The Iran-backed Houthis took over the capital Sanaa in 2014, forcing the government south to the interim capital, Aden.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE support different sides in the power-sharing government of Aden, which also witnesses frequent clashes due to a power struggle.