Yemen's Houthi rebels shot down what they described as an American drone early Friday, potentially the latest downing of a U.S. spy drone as the militants continue their attacks on the Red Sea corridor.

U.N. experts say Yemen’s Houthi rebels have been transformed from a local armed group with limited capabilities to a powerful military organization with support from Iran, Iraqi armed groups, Lebanon’s Hezbollah militants and others.

In a dramatic escalation, Houthi missiles have successfully shot down another U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone over Yemen, marking the 12th drone downed by the Iran-backed group this month alone. The attack occurred in the skies above Yemen's al-Jawf governorate,