US 'spy' drone 'taken out by Houthis' above Marib region

A US "spy drone" was taken out above Yemen's flashpoint region of Marib by the country's Houthi insurgents, the group alleged on Monday.

Marib City is currently the site of a major battle as the Houthi rebels seek to seize possession of the government's last bastion in the north.

As the Houthis pursue the holdout area, international coalition forces, headed up by Saudi Arabia, are bombing rebel positions and vehicles in Marib and the nearby Shabwa region.

Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed, according to Anadolu Agency, on Monday: "This morning, our air defenses managed to shoot down a US ScanEagle spy plane with a suitable weapon."

Saree alleged "hostile actions" were being taken by this drone in the Medghal District prior to it being downed.

Neither Yemen's internationally recognised government nor the US had issued a statement on the rebels' allegations by the time Anadolu published its report on Monday.

The Houthis are currently in possession of parts of Marib region, although the country's government holds the majority of the territory there.

In February, the Marib Governorate first came under increased pressure from the insurgents, as the group sought a better hand in negotiations to end the fighting and wanted power over the area's oil.

The crisis in Yemen first escalated with the 2014 rebel seizure of Sanaa, the nation's capital city, as well as many other areas.

The conflict has forced millions out of their homes.

It also has left 233,000 dead, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has previously said.