Yemen rebels claim to shoot down US drone in Marib

SANAA, Yemen (AA) – Houthi rebels in Yemen on Monday claimed to have shot down a US spy drone in the central Marib province.

"This morning, our air defenses managed to shoot down a US ScanEagle spy plane with a suitable weapon,” rebel spokesman Yahya Saree said in a brief statement, without giving further details.

He said the spy drone was carrying out “hostile actions” in Yemeni airspace over Medghal district in Marib province before it was brought down.

There was no comment from US or Yemeni authorities on the Houthi claim.

The Yemeni government controls most of Marib, while the Houthi rebels control some areas in the province.

In recent months, Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels have stepped up attacks to take control of the oil-rich Marib province, one of the most important strongholds of the legitimate government and home to the headquarters of Yemen’s Defense Ministry.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

A Saudi-led coalition aimed at reinstating the Yemeni government has worsened the situation, causing one of the world’s worst man-made humanitarian crises with 233,000 people killed, nearly 80% or about 30 million needing humanitarian assistance and protection, and more than 13 million in danger of starvation, according to UN estimates.

Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara