Sanaa (South24)

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The Houthis announced on Sunday that they had downed an American MQ-9 Reaper drone over Saada Governorate, the main stronghold of the Iranian-backed Yemeni militia.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said: "We shot down an American drone type (MQ-9) with a locally-made surface-to-air missile, while it was carrying out hostile acts over the airspace of Saada Governorate."

Sarea said that it is the seventh drone of its kind to be shot down in Yemen since the start of their military operations in support of Gaza.

The Houthis also announced targeting the Liberia-flagged container vessel MV Groton, in the Gulf of Aden, with a number of ballistic missiles, and claimed that the hit was accurate.

Sarea said the bombing of the ship was a result of the company that owns it violating the decision to ban ships from entering Israeli ports.

These are the first attacks that the Houthis have claimed responsibility for since Israel carried out an airstrike against the militia-run port of Hodeidah on July 20, leading to massive damage.

A video clip showed Houthi soldiers near the wreckage of the American MQ-9 Reaper drone in Saada.

The attacks also come days after the assassination of Hamas’ political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, that Iran says was carried out by Israel and has vowed revenge.