A rising concern? After straws, balloons get more scrutiny

Now that plastic straws may be headed for extinction, could Americans' love of balloons get deflated too?

The celebration of releasing balloons into the air has long bothered environmentalists, who say the pieces that fall back to earth can be deadly to seabirds and turtles that eat them. So as companies vow to banish plastic straws, there are signs balloons will be among the products getting more scrutiny, even though they're a very small part of environmental pollution.

College football powerhouse Clemson University is ending its tradition of releasing 10,000 balloons into the air before games. In Virginia, a campaign that urges alternatives to balloon releases at weddings is expanding. And a Rhode Island town outright banned the sale of all balloons this year, citing harm to marine life.

FILE- In this Oct. 5, 2017, file photo Annette Antwi, of Newark, N.J., releases balloons while celebrating her birthday in front of a fountain at Branch Brook Park in Newark, N.J. As companies vow to banish plastic straws, there are signs balloons are among the products getting more scrutiny. (AP PhotoJulio Cortez, File)

FILE- In this Sept. 11, 2010, file photo red balloons fill the sky after Nebraska scored its first touchdown against Idaho in their NCAA college football game in Lincoln, Neb. The celebration of releasing balloons into the air has long bothered environmentalists, who say the pieces that fall back to earth can be deadly to seabirds and turtles that eat them. So as companies vow to banish plastic straws, there are signs balloons are among the products getting more scrutiny. (AP PhotoNati Harnik, File)

FILE- In this Sept. 26, 2015, file photo, balloons are released after a Nebraska touchdown against Southern Miss during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Lincoln, Neb. The celebration of releasing balloons into the air has long bothered environmentalists, who say the pieces that fall back to earth can be deadly to seabirds and turtles that eat them. So as companies vow to banish plastic straws, there are signs balloons are among the products getting more scrutiny. (AP PhotoNati Harnik, File)

FILE-This Oct. 19, 2013, file photo shoes Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney leading the team down the lane before the first half of an NCAA college football game against the Florida State in Clemson, S.C. The celebration of releasing balloons into the air has long bothered environmentalists, who say the pieces that fall back to earth can be deadly to seabirds and turtles that eat them. So as companies vow to banish plastic straws, there are signs balloons are among the products getting more scrutiny. College football powerhouse Clemson is ending its tradition of releasing 10,000 balloons into the air before games. (AP PhotoMike Stewart, File)

JERUSALEM (AP) — Yemen's Houthi rebels on Saturday claimed shooting down another of the U.S. military's MQ-9 Reaper drones, airing footage of parts that corresponded to known pieces of the unmanned aircraft.

The Houthis said they shot down the Reaper with a surface-to-air missile, part of a renewed series of assaults this week by the rebels after a relative lull in their pressure campaign over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Bryon J. McGarry, a Defense Department spokesperson, acknowledged to The Associated Press on Saturday that “a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 drone crashed in Yemen.” He said an investigation was underway, without elaborating.

The Houthis described the downing as happening Thursday over their stronghold in the country's Saada province.

Footage released by the Houthis included what they described as the missile launch targeting the drone, with a man off-camera reciting the Houthi's slogan after it was hit: “God is the greatest; death to America; death to Israel; curse the Jews; victory to Islam.”

The footage included several close-ups on parts of the drone that included the logo of General Atomics, which manufactures the drone, and serial numbers corresponding with known parts made by the company.

Since the Houthis seized the country’s north and its capital of Sanaa in 2014, the U.S. military has lost at least five drones to the rebels counting Thursday's shootdown — in 2017, 2019, 2023 and this year.

Reapers, which cost around $30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land.

The drone shootdown comes as the Houthis launch attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, demanding Israel ends the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians there. The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking some 250 others hostage.

The Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, seized one vessel and sank another since November, according to the U.S. Maritime Administration.

Houthi attacks have dropped in recent weeks as the rebels have been targeted by a U.S.-led airstrike campaign in Yemen. Shipping through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has declined because of the threat. American officials have speculated that the rebels may be running out of weapons as a result of the U.S.-led campaign against them and after firing drones and missiles steadily in the last months. However, the rebels have renewed their attacks in the last week.

A Houthi supporter raises a mock rocket during a rally against the U.S. and Israel and to support Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, April. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)