DUBAI, May 29. /TASS/. The Yemeni Houthi rebels downed a US MQ-9 Reaper drone over Yemen, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said.

"The Yemeni Armed Forces air defense managed to down a US MQ-9 drone, when it performed a hostile mission over the Marib Province," the spokesman said on the Al Masirah TV channel.

According to the spokesman, the rebels downed the drone using a locally-produced missile air defense system. This is reportedly the sixth US drone, downed by the movement since the beginning of the escalation in the region, which followed the escalation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict area.

On April 27, CBS reported citing its sources that, since November 2023, the US lost three MQ-9 Reaper drones over Yemen. According to the US Congressional Research Service (CRS), each drone weighs about $30 million.