A U.S. drone was shot down Tuesday by a surface-to-air missile, according to reports.
A U.S. official told CNN the missile is believed to have been provided to Houthi rebels by Iran. The official said it was unclear if the drone belonged to the U.S. military or an intelligence agency.
The official also said the Trump administration is expected to publicly blame Iran for the drone’s downing.
“We are aware of reporting that a US MQ-9 was shot down over Yemen. We do not have any further information to provide at this time,” the U.S. military’s Central Command said in a Wednesday statement.
Iran shot down a U.S. drone in June, nearly prompting a military strike from the United States. The U.S. said the drone was in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz, but Iran claimed the drone was targeted over its territory. President Trump called off the attack shortly before it was set to take place, saying it would have caused a high death toll.
