 Yemen shoots down US MQ-9 drone. A US military drone was shot down while operating over the coast of Yemen. Unnamed officials told multiple media outlets pinning the strike on Houthis. The armed militia group had previously vowed drone and rocket attacks against Israel amid continued fighting in Gaza. The MQ-9 Reaper drone was downed in international airspace. Noting that US Central Command is now investigating the incident, we can confirm that a US military MQ-9 remotely piloted aircraft was shot down off the coast of Yemen by Houthi forces, a Pentagon official told ABC News. The group also shared footage which they claim showed the strike, where an air defense missile is seen hitting an aircraft and erupting into flames. Earlier, a spokesman for the Houthis, a group which has maintained the factor rule over part of Yemen since 2014, said the drone was hit while carrying out hostile monitoring and spying operations in Yemeni territorial waters along with the US military support to the Israeli entity. Hostile acts won't deter the Yemeni armed forces from continuing to conduct military operations against the Israeli entity in solidarity with the oppression of the Palestinian nation. The spokesman added, late last month, Houthi officials confirmed they had launched several drone and missile strikes on Israel as a show of support for Palestinians in Gaza, and went on to pledge additional attacks. The US military previously said it had shot down projectiles headed towards Israel over the Red Sea with a US Navy destroyer reportedly intercepting cruise missiles and drones launched by Houthi forces in October.