Yemen's Houthis claim shooting down U.S. drone over Hodeidah

Aden [Yemen], March 5: Yemen's Houthi forces announced Tuesday that they successfully intercepted a U.S. MQ-9 reconnaissance drone over the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.
Yahya Sarea, the Houthi military spokesperson, said on the social media platform X that the drone was downed while "violating Yemeni airspace and conducting hostile operations" in Hodeidah province.
Sarea said it is the 15th aircraft neutralized by Houthi forces during what they term the "ongoing Battle of the Promised Liberation and the Sacred Jihad," a campaign they describe as supporting Gaza and Lebanon.
No immediate comment was available from U.S. military or diplomatic sources regarding the Houthi claim.
The Houthi group, which controls large swathes of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, has previously targeted vessels they say are linked to Israel in the Red Sea as support for Palestinians during the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Source: Xinhua News Agency