Yemen: Houthi Army Says It Downs US RQ20 Spy Drone Over Jizan

Yemen’s Houthi army said on Sunday it shot down a small US RQ20 spy drone over the Jizan region, south of Saudi Arabia, Houthi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said, according to media reports.

“The air defenses were able to shoot down a US spy drone, RQ-20, over Haradh district off Jizan with an undisclosed missile,” Saree said in a statement, according to the Yemeni state news agency al-Masirah.

Saree said that footage has been taken by the army of downing the US spy drone, but declined to present details on the kind of surface-to-air system used to bring down the US aircraft.

The RQ20 spy drone is a small, battery powered, hand-launched unmanned aircraft system that is manufactured by the American company AeroVironment.