The Houthi rebels shot down an American MQ-9 Reaper drone off the coast of Yemen on Monday, two US officials confirmed to Business Insider. A Pentagon spokesperson said the rebels used a surface-to-air missile to take down the drone, which has not yet been recovered by the US. Photo by Houthi Movement via Getty ImagesThe incident comes less than three months after the Houthis shot down an American Reaper drone off the coast of Yemen as the aircraft was flying through international airspace. These capabilities make the Reaper useful in the US efforts to stop Houthi missiles before they fire at international shipping. Photo by Houthi Movement via Getty ImagesThe downed Reaper drone was not the only escalatory move by the Houthis over the past two days.

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Persons: —, It's, CENTCOM Organizations: Service, Business, Pentagon, US, Houthi, Getty, Hellfire, US Central Command Locations: Yemen, Iran, Gulf of Aden, Alhudaydah province, Russian, Europe