US military drone shot down over Yemen

A US military MQ-9 drone was shot down in Yemen's Dhamar governate, southeast of the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa, two US officials say.

A Houthi military spokesman had earlier said that air defences had brought down a US drone.

The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the drone was shot down late on Tuesday.

This is not the first time a US drone has been shot down in Yemen. In June, the US military said that Houthi rebels had shot down a US government-operated drone with assistance from Iran.

US forces have occasionally launched drone and air strikes against Yemen's al-Qaeda branch, known as Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

One of the officials said that it appeared that the drone had been shot down by a surface-to-air missile operated by the Iran-aligned Houthi group.

The other official cautioned that it was too early to tell who was responsible for the incident.

The drone's downing comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and the United States since President Donald Trump's administration last year quit an international deal to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions and began to ratchet up sanctions.