NYN | News
Amid shock and astonishment, American media outlets are covering the heavy losses and repeated failures their forces are facing in Yemen against relatively limited defenses that nonetheless disrupt calculations and reshape the balance of power.
The American military-focused website The War Zone revealed that the Houthi group (Ansar Allah) now possesses an air defense arsenal that poses a real and growing threat, highlighting the alarming number of advanced U.S. MQ-9 reconnaissance drones shot down in recent weeks — a sign of a major shift in Sanaa’s defensive capabilities.
According to the site, the U.S. military’s increasing reliance on long-range air munitions, and even the deployment of stealth B-2 bombers, indicates that the threat posed by Sanaa’s air defenses is far greater than previously acknowledged, fueling rising concerns within the U.S. Department of Defense.
A Pentagon source confirmed to The War Zone that six MQ-9 drones have been downed since March 15, while Fox News reported U.S. officials confirming the loss of a seventh drone — an unprecedented series of losses in what was expected to be a one-sided battlefield.
The report noted that the Houthis (Ansar Allah) take pride in possessing a domestic military manufacturing capability within Yemen, asserting that the vast majority of their missiles and drones are produced locally — a claim reflected in their advanced performance despite the blockade and severe economic hardship.
The website quoted a senior Pentagon official saying: “Sometimes we are surprised by what the Houthis manage to do, and we sit back and wonder how they pulled it off. They are not extremely advanced technologically, but we believe they are astonishingly innovative.”
The report also pointed out that even damaging a manned American military aircraft would be a major achievement for the Houthis (Ansar Allah), pushing the U.S. military to take unusual steps such as deploying B-2 bombers and using precision-guided munitions launched from beyond the reach of enemy defenses.
At the end of the report, Tali Blue from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies stated: “The Houthis (Ansar Allah) have proven capable of delivering blows far beyond their size, showing that even forces lacking resources in the poorest regions of the world can make a real impact on the battlefield through adaptability and innovation.”
