The US army did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Houthis' announcement downing of a drone over the country's southwestern Dhamar province.

The online video bolstered the claim, particularly after two recent claims by the Houthis included no evidence.

Other videos showed armed rebels gathered around the flaming wreckage, a propeller similar to those used by the armed drone visible in the flames. One attempted to pick up a piece of the metal before dropping it due to the heat.

Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesperson, identified the drone as an MQ-9, without elaborating on how he came to the determination.

He said it was the third downed by the group in a week, though the other two claims did not include similar videos or other evidence. The US army has not yet acknowledged losing any aircraft.

Saree said the Houthis used a locally produced missile.

Reapers, which cost around $30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet (15,240 meters) and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land.

The aircraft have been flown by both the US army and the CIA over Yemen for years.

The Houthis have targeted more than 80 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the genocidal Israeli war in Gaza started in October.

They seized one vessel and sank two in the campaign that has also killed four sailors.

Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a US-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have included Western army vessels as well.

The rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the US or the UK to force an end to Israel’s brutal military campaign in Gaza.

Those attacks include a barrage that struck the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion in the Red Sea.

Salvagers abandoned an initial effort to tow away the burning oil tanker, leaving the Sounion stranded and its 1 million barrels of oil at risk of spilling.