Houthi Rebels Claim Downed US-made ScanEagle Drone In Marib . Province

JAKARTA - The Houthi rebel group in Yemen claimed to have succeeded in downing a US-made spy drone in Marib Province on Saturday.

Hoithi group spokesman Yahya Saree said in a statement that Houthi air defenses downed a US-made ScanEagle drone in the al-Jubah Marib district.

The plane carried out "hostile action" in the area," Saree said, as reported by Yenisafak on December 4.

The Houthis' claims come just hours after the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen carried out air strikes against rebel groups' sites in the capital Sanaa.

Saree said the Houthi rebel group had shot down seven US-made spy planes in Yemen so far this year. There was no comment from US officials or the Yemeni government on the Houthi claims.

In recent months, the Iran-aligned Houthi rebel group has stepped up attacks on control of the oil-rich Marib Province, one of the most important strongholds of the legitimate government and home to the headquarters of Yemen's Ministry of Defense.

Yemen has been beset by violence and instability since 2014, when the Iran-aligned Houthi rebel group seized large parts of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

The Saudi-led coalition aiming to restore Yemen's government has worsened the situation, causing one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

About 80 percent or about 30 million people of the country's population are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection, while more than 13 million people are in danger. starvation, according to UN estimates.

Meanwhile, a recent UN report projected by the end of the year the death toll from Yemen's seven-year conflict would reach 377,000.