India, May 29 -- Houthi rebels on Friday claimed that they have successfully downed a second high-tech American drone near Marib governorate in less than 24 hours over Yemen. Yemen's Iran-backed rebel group asserted that it struck a major blow to US aerial surveillance capabilities by wrecking an MQ-9 Reaper, a sophisticated, multi-million-dollar unmanned aerial vehicle, over Yemeni territory.

The claim comes amid a broader, intensifying conflict that has seen the US military conducting frequent "self-defence" airstrikes against Houthi-controlled infrastructure.

The Houthi military spokesperson, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, took to official channels to announce the downing of the drone, which is estimated to cost approximately $30 mil...