
Yemen's Houthi rebels attempted to recover a US drone they had shot down and that landed in the Red Sea, but it is unlikely they will recover anything of significance, the Pentagon said on Thursday, according to Reuters.
US officials confirmed on Wednesday that the Iran-aligned Houthis shot down a US MQ-9 drone off the coast of Yemen, after the group claimed on X that their air defenses had brought down the drone.
"We know that there was an attempt by Houthis to try and recover them MQ-9 but it is unlikely that they will be able to retrieve anything of significance," Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters on Thursday, as quoted by Reuters.
Singh added that the United States was not currently looking to recover the downed drone.
The Iranian-backed Houthis have upped their attacks against Israel in recent weeks. Last week, the group released footage showing its members launching a missile towards Israel from Yemenite territory.
The footage was released after the Houthis confirmed that they launched a UAV towards Israel.
Shortly after the UAV was intercepted over the Red Sea, the IDF confirmed that the "Arrow" missile defense system had shot down a missile over the Red Sea as well.
In mid-October, a US Navy warship operating in the Middle East intercepted multiple projectiles near the coast of Yemen which were believed to have targeted Israel.
Days later, an explosion occurred at a medical facility in the Egyptian resort town of Taba, located near the Israeli border. Authorities suspect that the explosion was caused by a downed unmanned aircraft that was launched by Houthi rebels in Yemen and was directed towards Eilat.
The Houthis took control of Yemen's capital, Sanaa, in 2014, launching a years-long civil war against the internationally recognized government of Yemen.
It has long been believed that Iran is planning to use the Houthis to take over Yemen and seize the key strategic port of Aden, which controls the entrance to the Red Sea and ultimately to Eilat.
Iran denies it is backing the Houthis and has also denied Saudi Arabian accusations that Tehran provided the Houthi rebels in Yemen with ballistic capabilities.