A United States official claims that Iran-backed Houthi rebels are responsible for the shooting down of an unmanned Reaper drone off the coast of Yemen.
The defense official said that the MQ-9 Reaper drone was operating in international airspace and was just over international waters when it was suddenly shot down. He added that US Central Command is already investigating the incident and its details.
US Reaper Drone Shot Down by Houthi Rebels
Iran-backed Houthi militants later took responsibility for the shootdown, which comes a few weeks after a US Navy warship, the USS Carney, intercepted multiple missiles and drones that the rebel group fired as they were traveling north along the Red Sea.
The vessel was able to shoot down four cruise missiles and 15 drones over nine hours and the trajectory of the projectiles left little doubt that they were on their way to Israel. In recent weeks, Iranian proxy groups increased the frequency of their attacks on American forces and assets in the Middle East following the Hamas militant group's attack on Israel, as per CNN.
Since Oct. 17, US and coalition bases in Iraq and Syria have suffered attacks at least 40 times that left US service members with traumatic brain injuries and other injuries. Fortunately, officials said all of these have been minor.
A senior defense official also called Iran the "center of gravity" for the attacks on US forces in the region, adding that "Iranian fingerprints are all over this." The US fought back against the groups on Oct. 26 by launching airstrikes in Syria that targeted infrastructure used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its proxies.
The strikes were carried out by an F-15 fighter jet and a pair of F-16 fighter jets that used precision-guided munitions. The aircraft targeted a weapons and ammunition storage facility in Abu Kamal located near the border between Iraq and Syria.
Prolonged Civil War
Iran is reportedly seeking to capitalize on the backlash to US support for Israel and while Tehran is not directly leading the groups' attacks, it does appear to be encouraging them. In a warning to Iran, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that they would not let Tehran hide its hand and deny its role in the attacks against American forces, according to CNN.
The United States has deployed military assets, including aircraft carriers, Marines, and support ships, to the Middle East in the wake of the Israel-Hamas conflict. These include troops that were stationed onboard military vessels in the Red Sea that lies between Yemen and Israel.
Since 2014, Houthi rebels have been in a prolonged civil war with Yemen's official government, which Saudi Arabia supports. The deputy leader of another Iran-backed group in the region, Lebanon's Hezbollah, said that Israel's efforts to kill civilians in Gaza pose the risk of a wider war in the region.
In a statement, Sheikh Naim Qassem said, "very serious and very dangerous development could occur in the region, and no one would be able to stop the repercussions," said BBC.
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