The United States is looking into the circumstances surrounding an incident in which an unmanned US drone crashed near Hodeidah in Yemen early Monday morning, as reported by two US officials to CNN. It remains unclear whether the drone, an Air Force MQ-9 Reaper typically used for intelligence collection, was shot down or simply crashed.

A spokesperson for the Iran-backed Houthi forces stated on X, formerly Twitter, that they had shot down the drone "with a suitable missile," noting this wouldn't be the first time such an event occurred. The Houthis had previously shot down an MQ-9 Reaper in November off the coast of Yemen. The US has been conducting strikes against the Houthis in Yemen due to their ongoing attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.

Following an attack on a cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden by the Houthis, the vessel was abandoned by its crew. The Houthis retaliated against "American-British aggression" with this attack, according to a Houthi spokesperson on X. Subsequently, a CENTCOM post on X mentioned that a bulk carrier, the MV Rubymar, was damaged by anti-ship ballistic missiles launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. One of these missiles struck the ship, prompting a distress call and the eventual rescue of the crew by a coalition warship and a merchant vessel.

The US and UK have conducted joint strikes in Yemen, declaring that such operations will persist should the Houthis continue their assaults.