Iran says it has shot down U.S. drone as missile strike in Saudi Arabia raises tensions
US President Donald Trump has been briefed on the details of a missile strike in Saudi Arabia that appeared to come from Yemen, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders has said, as Iran claimed in a separate incident to have shot down a US drone over its territory.
“We are closely monitoring the situation and continuing to consult with our partners and allies,” Sanders said on Wednesday, in relation to the Saudi missile strike.
Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen, who ousted the Saudi-backed internationally recognised government in late 2014, have stepped up missile and drone attacks on Saudi cities in the past two weeks.
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency claimed the country’s Revolutionary Guard shot down a US drone when it entered Iranian airspace near the Kouhmobarak district in the southern Hormozgan province. It said the drone was RQ-4 Global Hawk.
The US military denied any US aircraft were operating in Iranian airspace at the time of the claimed attack. Captain Bill Urban, a US Central Command spokesman, declined to comment when asked if an American drone was shot down but said “there was no drone over Iranian territory.” [Continue reading…]