SANAA, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi group said it shot down a U.S.-made MQ-9 drone over central Yemen on Wednesday, making it the second MQ-9 drone the group downed within 72 hours.

"We shot down an American MQ-9 aircraft while it was carrying out hostile missions over Marib province," Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

"The plane was shot down with a locally-made surface-to-air missile," he said. "This is ... the 14th one of the same type we have shot down since November 2023."

Al-Masirah TV said footage of the downed plane would be broadcast in the next hours.

The U.S. army has not commented on the Houthi claim.

The Houthi group, which controls much of northern Yemen, has been launching regular rocket and drone attacks against Israel and disrupting "Israeli-linked" shipping in the Red Sea since November 2023 to show solidarity with Palestinians amid their conflict with Israel in the Gaza Strip.

In response, the U.S.-led navy coalition stationed in the area has regularly conducted air raids and strikes against Houthi targets to deter the group, prompting the Houthis to expand attacks to include U.S. warships.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Central Command issued a statement on social media platform X, saying its forces have conducted multiple precision strikes since Monday against Houthi targets in Sanaa and Houthi-controlled coastal regions in Yemen.

It said the targets included "a Houthi command and control facility and advanced conventional weapon (ACW) production and storage facilities that included missiles and uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV)."

"In addition, U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force aircraft destroyed a Houthi coastal radar site and seven cruise missiles and one-way attack UAVs over the Red Sea," it said. Enditem

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