American onslaught on Houthis kills seven amid preparation for possible operation against Iran

Suspected US airstrikes near Yemen’s capital Saana killed at least seven people and wounded 29 overnight, the Houthi rebels have claimed. The militant group - which has repeatedly attacked and western shipping also claimed it has shot down another of America's £25 million American MQ-9 Reaper drone.

It comes amid ongoing US talks with Tehran, which has long backed the Houthis, on Iran’s continued attempts to gain nuclear weapons. It is believed and the US may have already planned to attack Iran as American B2 bombers have moved to the Indian Ocean isband base Diego Garcia, possibly preparing for strikes on Iran.

Footage aired by the Houthis' al-Masirah satellite news channel showed firefighters spraying water on a raging fire they described as being sparked by the airstrikes.

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Rubble littered the street as rescuers carried one person away from the site, which the rebels claimed was a ceramics factory in the Bani Matar neighbourhood of Sanaa. US Central Command, which overseas attacks in the Middle East now has authorisation from the White House to conduct strikes at will in the campaign that began on March 15.

The Houthis also claim that another American drone was shot down over Yemen's Hajjah governorate on Sunday.

Houthi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree described the downing in a prerecorded video message as the fourth in two weeks by the rebels. General Saree said the rebels targeted the drone with "a locally manufactured missile.”

The Houthis have surface-to-air missiles, such as the Iranian missile known as the 358, capable of downing aircraft. Iran denies arming Houthi forces, though Tehran-manufactured weaponry has been found on the battlefield and in sea shipments heading to Yemen for the Shiite Houthi rebels despite a United Nations arms embargo.

The MQ-9 Reaper drone can fly at altitudes more than 40,000 feet and remain in the air for more than 30 hours. They have been flown by both the US military and the CIA for years over , , and now Yemen.

Centcom said it was aware of "reports" of the drone being shot down but did not elaborate. US strikes come as part of a month-long, intense campaign, which began shortly after the election of US President .

The American pushback against Yemeni rebels targets Houthi forces for its repeated rebel attacks on Middle Eastern shipping lanes since the Israel-Gaza war. Houthi attacks began shortly after and were prompted by Hamas's October 7 attacks in Israel and have since left more than 120 dead, according to casualty figures released by the Houthi Health Ministry on Monday.

An investigation has found the new US operation against the Houthis under president Donald Trump appears more extensive than that under former president , as Washington moves from solely targeting launch sites to firing at ranking personnel and dropping bombs on cities.

US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said on Fox News: "What we're doing with the Houthis and what we're doing in the region, we've shown a capability to go far, to go deep and to go big.

"We don't want to do that. But if we have to, we will to prevent a nuclear bomb in Iran's hands." Mr Hegseth added: "We know Iran ... is taking a look at what's happening to the Houthis and realising they don't want any part of it.