Yemen's Houthis on Friday claimed to have shot down an American drone. Early Saturday, a vessel also came under attack in the Red Sea. This is the fourth U.S. Reaper drone being shot down by the Houthis since October 2023. The Houthis circulated footage of the downed UAV that served to identify the aircraft. They also released a video of the projectile in action used to bring down the Reaper. U.S. airstrikes have been hitting Houthi sites in Yemen since January this year. However, the Houthi group vows to continue its attacks on Israeli-American-British ships in the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
An oil tanker was hit by a missile off the coast of Yemen. The vessel was near the Bab el-Mandeb strait about 10 nautical miles (19 kilometers) southwest of the city of Mocha, maritime security firm Ambrey said Saturday. The Iran-backed Houthis in mid-November started attacking warships and merchant vessels passing through the Red Sea, especially those linked to Israel, the U.S. and the U.K. in response to Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. The Houthis effectively closed a key global shipping route, forcing ships traveling between Asia and Europe to avoid the Suez Canal and go around southern Africa. Shipping and freight executives believe the Red Sea will remain too dangerous for many more months, if not the rest of the year, putting pressure on energy markets.
Confrontations broke out between government forces and the Houthi group on a number of battlefronts in Marib province, northeast of Sana'a. Field sources said that confrontations broke out between the Giants forces and the Houthi group on the southern front of Marib. The sources indicated that the confrontations came after Houthis launched attacks on government forces' positions in the Harib District, south of Marib. The southern Marib fronts witness violent confrontations in line with the Houthi group's continued mobilization of forces.
Israeli troops and tanks pushed on Saturday into parts of a congested northern Gaza Strip district that they had previously skirted in the more than seven-month-old war, killing and wounding dozens of Palestinians, medics and residents said. The Israeli military said forces have continued to operate in areas across the Gaza Strip, including Jabalia and Rafah. Israel's military said 281 soldiers have been killed in fighting since the first ground incursions in Gaza on Oct 20. At least 35,386 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes since Oct 7.
