After the 11th US MQ-9 Reaper drone was shot down by the Houthis on Monday, the US and UK air forces launched retaliatory strikes on positions in Yemen. The attacks focused on areas of the capital Sanaa and the port of Hodeida, where several targets were hit. Witnesses reported at least four powerful explosions in Sanaa.

The escalation of hostilities in Yemen comes amid fresh clashes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden region, where the Houthis have been actively attacking American and British military installations, as well as ships patrolling these waters. Shooting down Reaper drones has become one of the successful tactics of Yemeni militants, undermining the US Air Force's ability to conduct reconnaissance and precision air strikes.