An American MQ-9 Reaper drone flying near Yemen was confirmed to have been shot down by Houthi militants, marking the second incident of its kind by the Iran-backed group. The U.S. official informed ABC News about the downing, which the Pentagon later acknowledged on Tuesday. The Houthis revealed they had targeted the Reaper, along with two American ships in the Gulf of Aden, in a statement made on Monday. This recent incident follows a previous Reaper drone being shot down in international airspace near Yemen back in November.

The Pentagon stated that the drone, brought down by a surface-to-air missile, has not yet been recovered, and an investigation into the matter is currently ongoing. Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh admitted that the Houthi "attacks are getting more sophisticated" and emphasized that "our dynamic strikes or coalition strikes absolutely have an impact." There was a noticeable surge in Houthi activity over the weekend, as noted by Singh.

In response, the U.S. carried out five self-defense strikes against the Houthis on Sunday, with one targeting an unmanned underwater vessel. This marked the first instance of the Houthis deploying a submarine since tensions escalated in October. The Coast Guard reported an interdiction earlier this month, confiscating the components of the underwater drone that was targeted by U.S. forces on Sunday.

The Pentagon highlighted the need for Iran to use its influence over the Houthis to ease tensions, raising concerns about Iran's potential involvement with the group.