Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed on Saturday night that they successfully ambushed and downed a US MQ-9 drone in Yemen.
“The Yemeni air defenses shot down an American MQ-9 aircraft while it was carrying out hostile activities in the airspace of Ma'rib Governorate," said the group's spokesman Yahya Saree.
"This is the eighth plane of its type that the Yemeni Armed Forces have succeeded in shooting down during the Battle of the Promised Victory and the Holy Jihad in support of Gaza,” he claimed.
“The Yemeni Armed Forces continue to perform their jihadist duties in solidarity with the oppressed Palestinian people and in defense of beloved Yemen," stated Saree.
A US defense official told Russia’s TASS news agency that the US cannot confirm the claims.
"We are aware of this reporting and currently have received no reports of any DOD assets being downed or damaged," the US official said.
The Iranian-backed Houthis have upped their attacks in the region since the start of the war in Gaza, launching drones towards southern Israel and targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea region.
In the wake of the uptick in Houthi attacks, the US formed a coalition, made up of more than 20 countries, aimed at safeguarding commercial traffic in the Red Sea from attacks by the Houthis.
In mid-January, with support from other countries, the US and Britain targeted just under 30 Houthi locations with 150 different weapons. They have since carried out several rounds of strikes against Houthi targets.
The Houthis have been unfazed by the strikes, saying that the campaign against the "Zionist enemy" will continue and that the attacks against the American and British ships will not stop.