Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed to have shot down a second US MQ-9 drone that was over the nation.

This could be the latest in a series of downings of the expensive surveillance aircraft. The rebels said that the United States then began attacks over regions under Houthi control. But the U.S. military informed The Associated Press that it has "received no reports" of American military drones being shot down over Yemen.

But since taking control of Yemen's capital, Sanaa, in 2014, the Houthis have frequently shot down General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper drones. Since the Israel-Hamas conflict began, the number of these attacks has skyrocketed, and the Houthis began their campaign by focusing on ships along the Red Sea region.

Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the Houthi military's spokesperson, claimed in a prerecorded video message that the drone was shot down over Yemen's Marib province, which has been contested for a long time and is home to significant oil and gas fields. The province has been held by allies of a coalition led by Saudi Arabia that has been fighting the rebels since 2015.

Saree claimed that the Houthis kept up their terrorist work in defense of dear Yemen and in triumph for the oppressed Palestinian people.

Following the allegation, numerous US-led airstrikes were reported close to the city of Ibb by the Houthis' al-Masirah satellite news program. The U.S. military's Central Command declared late on Sunday that it had, in a Houthi-controlled part of Yemen, "destroyed three Iranian-backed Houthi uncrewed aerial vehicles and two missile systems," without providing further details.

Since the beginning of the conflict in Gaza in October, the Houthis have used drones and missiles to target more than 80 merchant vessels. Four seamen have also been slain in the campaign, which saw them seize one ship and sink two others. The attacks have disrupted international trade routes and caused concern for the safety of ships passing through the region.