US lost seven multi-million-dollar drones in Yemen area since March

Washington: The United States has lost seven multi-million-dollar MQ-9 Reaper drones in the Yemen area since mid-March, when the latest round of its air campaign against the Houthi rebels began, a US official said Monday.

MQ-9s can be used for both reconnaissance - a key aspect of US efforts to identify and target Houthi weaponry that the rebels are using to attack shipping - as well as strikes, and cost around $30 million apiece.

“There have been seven MQ-9s that have gone down since March 15,” the US official said on condition of anonymity, without specifying what caused the losses, the most recent of which took place on April 22.

The United States has been hitting the Houthis on a near-daily basis since mid-March.

On Sunday the military’s Central Command said that US forces have struck more than 800 targets and killed hundreds of Houthi fighters, including members of the group’s leadership, as part of the operation.

The Iran-backed Houthis began targeting shipping in late 2023, claiming solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which has been devastated by a military campaign launched by Israel after a shock Hamas attack in October of that year.

Houthi attacks have prevented ships from passing through the Suez Canal - a vital route that normally carries about 12 percent of the world’s shipping traffic - forcing many companies into a costly detour around the tip of southern Africa.

The United States first began conducting strikes against the Houthis under the Biden administration, and President Donald Trump has vowed that military action against the rebels will continue until they are no longer a threat to shipping.