$32M U.S. reaper drone SHOT DOWN near Yemen; U.K. tanker destroyed on the SAME DAY

It was a rough start to the week for the United States and its Western allies in the Red Sea after Yemeni Houthis claimed responsibility for downing an MQ-9 Reaper drone, which came with a price tag of $32 million.

The pentagram-shaped Pentagon says it is currently investigating the crash, which occurred the same day a United Kingdom tanker sunk after Houthis bombed it as well.

The drone was conducting surveillance off the coast of Yemen when officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that it fell out of the sky near the port city of Al Hudaydah in western Yemen.

The following footage is said to be the U.S. drone drowning, though keep in mind the footage is not officially verified:

The Yemeni armed forces and Ansar Allah shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone last night. They also destroyed a UK owned ship.

Genocide can be costly. pic.twitter.com/AMZSFEAQWR

— Seyed Mohammad Marandi (@s_m_marandi) February 19, 2024

(Related: Despite sending mixed messages, the Pentagon has pretty much admitted that there are now U.S. troops on the ground in Yemen.)

Operation Prosperity Guardian a bust

Concerning the sunken U.K.-owned vessel, CENTCOM issued a statement confirming that Houthis launched two anti-ship ballistic missiles from areas of Yemen controlled by the rebel group. One of the missiles struck the vessel, inflicting serious damage.

The ship issued a distress call, to which a coalition warship and a merchant vessel responded to assist. Crew members on the struck ship were transported to a port near the merchant vessel.

For the past several weeks, a U.S. coalition has been conducting airstrikes on Yemen, which appears to be having little or no effect. The Biden regime’s Operation Prosperity Guardian seems to be having the opposite effect, encouraging more attacks by the Houthis on targets in and over the Red Sea.

The Houthis started out attacking ships, but have since begun attacking aerial vessels like the drone, this marking a serious and dangerous escalation in the war.

According to reports, the anti-ship missiles struck the engine room of Rubymar, a Belize-flagged cargo ship that was traversing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait connecting the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea. The strike caused severe damage and was reported as “an explosion in close proximity to the vessel.”

“Military authorities report crew have abandoned the vessel,” announced the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center (UKMTO). “Vessel at anchor and all crew are safe.”

UKMTO WARNING INCIDENT 033 19 FEB 24

ATTACK – UPDATE 002https://t.co/zHGNgQp1UB#MaritimeSecurity #MarSec pic.twitter.com/j2qqL87yno

— United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) (@UK_MTO) February 19, 2024

The attack marks the first time the Houthis have damaged a commercial vessel to the point that an evacuation had to ensue due to the amount of damage sustained.

Houthis spokesman Yahya Sare’e issued a statement warning that Rubymar is “now at risk of potentially sinking.”

“The ship suffered catastrophic damages and came to a complete halt,” Sare’e said, further confirming that Yemeni air defenses shot down the U.S. General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper “with a suitable missile while it was carrying out hostile missions against our country.”

Contrary to the promises it made to bring peace and safety to the region, U.S. and U.K. forces are failing to neutralize these Houthi rebel attacks on vessels and aircraft in the prominent international shipping lane.

“The Houthis will stop when the Gaza genocide stops,” noted one commenter on a news report about the attacks. “What doesn’t the West understand about that?”

“I might be going out on a limb here, but I think Israel genociding human beings is a little worse than some boats being taken out of commission,” wrote another.

How do you think the war in the Middle East will end? Find out more at WWIII.news.

Sources for this article include:

ZeroHedge.com

NaturalNews.com