An unmanned US drone has been shot down near Yemen by Houthi military forces, a defense official said.
The official said the MQ-9 Reaper drone was over international waters in international air space when it was downed. US Central Command is investigating the incident. Houthi militants took responsibility for the attack, officials said.
This incident comes two weeks after Navy warship, the USS Carney, downed a series of missiles and drones launched by Houthi backed forces, and, based on their trajectory, were almost certainly headed toward Israel, traveling north along the coast of the Red Sea.
Iranian backed groups have increased attacks on US forces in the Middle East in the weeks following Hamas' attack on Israel.
US and coalition bases in Iraq and Syria have been attacked at least 40 times since Oct. 17, leaving multiple US service members with what officials have described as minor injuries.
A senior US defense official has said "Iranian fingerprints are all over this," referring to the attacks on US forces in the region, and called Iran "the center of gravity" for the attacks.
In retaliation, the US launched airstrikes in Syria targeting infrastructure used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Oct. 26.
The strikes, carried out by F-15 and F-16 fighter jets using precision-guided munitions, targeted a weapons and ammunition storage facility in Abu Kamal near the border between Syria and Iraq.
Iran is thought to be seeking to capitalize on the backlash to US support for Israel. While Tehran may not be explicitly directing the attacks, it does appear to be encouraging them, according to CNN.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin issued a strong warning to Tehran after last month's retaliatory strikes in Syria,
"Iran wants to hide its hand and deny its role in these attacks against our forces. We will not let them," Austin said in a statement. He added that the US promised further strikes if the attacks by Iran and its backers continue.
The Houthis claim to have fired at least four batches of drones and missiles toward southern Israel since Oct. 7. The group controls the capital and the population centers of Yemen.
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