Houthi rebels destroy seven US Reaper drones worth millions in mere weeks

Houthi supporters burn an American and an Israeli flags during an anti-US and anti-Israel rally in Sanaa on April 18 (Osamah Abdulrahman/AP)

Houthi rebels in Yemen have shot down seven US Reaper drones in less than six weeks, a loss of aircraft worth more than 200 million dollars (£150 million) in what is becoming the most dramatic cost to the Pentagon of the military campaign against the Iran-backed militants.

According to defence officials, three of the drones were shot down in the past week, suggesting the militants’ targeting of the unmanned aircraft flying over Yemen has improved.