Yemeni drones lose Yemeni drones to burn civilian tolls over Trump’s air campaign.
Yemen’s Houthi Armed Group has shot down seven Reaper drones worth more than $200 million in recent weeks, marking the most significant material loss in its campaign against Washington’s fighter jets.
The drones were destroyed between March 31 and April 22, and the Houtis has stepped up efforts to target US aircraft operated through Yemen.
Three of the drones have been lost in the past week alone, suggesting an improvement in Houthis’ ability to attack high-altitude US aircraft.
Each drones cost around $30 million and were surveillance or attack missions when they hit water or land. The Associated Press said it occurred on March 31 and April 3, 9, 13, 18, 19 and 22.
Dozens of civilians have been reportedly killed in the portion managed by Yemeni Hooty since March 15th after US President Donald Trump ordered a daily strike against the group.
Central Command spokesman Dave Eastburn said Thursday that US forces attacked more than 800 targets, destroying command centers, armouries and air defenses, and killing hundreds of Hooty fighters and leaders. This claim could not be independently tested.
Another US official speaking on condition of anonymity said the drone loss is under investigation, but it is likely the result of a hostile fire, the Associated Press reported.
Houthis targets ships primarily Israeli, US and British to pass through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait in protest of Israeli war with Gaza. The group says the attack will cease if Israel agrees to a permanent ceasefire.
Increase the number of civilian deaths
The Trump administration appears to have shifted from targeting only infrastructure to a deliberately impressive figure within the Hooty movement.
Strategic change comes amid an increase in civilian casualties from a US-led campaign, according to Airwars, a UK-based oversight group.
Airwars estimates that between 27 and 55 civilians were killed in a US strike during March. The group believes that tolls for April are already quite high, but the full figures remain unconfirmed.
Earlier this month, the US Air Force targeted the port of Ras Isa in Hodeida, killing at least 80 people and injuring more than 150 people.
This was followed by another attack on Monday, killing 12 people and injuring more than 30 people in Yemen’s capital Sanaa.
In Washington, concerns are growing over the human costs of the campaign.
Senators Chris Van Hollen, Elizabeth Warren and Tim Kane have written to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses, questioning whether the administration has renounced its responsibility to reduce civilian harm, especially after reports have been revealed about the high civilian deaths in the RAS ISA fuel terminals.
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