Yemen’s Huthi rebels shot down an American MQ-9 Reaper drone, a senior US defense official said Wednesday, confirming an earlier claim by the Iran-backed group.

The Huthis — who have downed an American drone before — said the MQ-9 was spying as part of US support for Israel in its war against Hamas.

“A US military MQ-9 remotely-piloted aircraft was shot down off the coast of Yemen by Huthi forces,” the official said.

The Huthis — who seized Yemen’s capital Sanaa in 2014 and control large swathes of the country — claimed the shootdown earlier in the day.

“Our air defences were able to down an American MQ-9 while it was carrying out hostile surveillance and espionage activities in Yemeni territorial waters as part of American military support” for Israel, the Huthis said in a statement.

The United States rushed military support to Israel and bolstered American forces in the region after Hamas militants carried out a shock cross-border attack from Gaza on October 7 that Israeli officials say killed more than 1,400 people.

Israel’s military responded with a relentless air, land and naval assault on Gaza that the territory’s health ministry says has left more than 10,500 people dead, sparking widespread anger in the region.

The Huthis have targeted Israel on multiple occasions in recent weeks, and the US Navy intercepted several missiles fired by the Huthis last month.

 The Haryana government has taken stringent measures against stubble burning, issuing 1,256 challans against the offenders, imposing more than Rs 32 lakh in fines and filing 72 FIRs, Chief Secretary Sanjeev Kaushal said on Wednesday.

According to an official statement, during a virtual meeting convened by the Union Cabinet Secretary on Wednesday, Mr Kaushal also said 90 per cent of paddy harvesting in the state has been completed and the state government is actively bolstering its measures to combat stubble burning.

“The government has taken strict actions against individuals responsible for farm fires, issuing 1,256 challans with fines totalling over Rs 32.55 lakh and filing 72 FIRs related to farm fires,” Mr Kaushal said.

A total of 44 farm fires were extinguished, according to a revised official statement.

An earlier statement had said that 44 offenders had been apprehended in connection with the FIRs related to farm fires.

Mr Kaushal also informed that authorities in Haryana have imposed restrictions on BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel vehicles to curb air pollution in Gurugram and Faridabad districts and the violators will face prosecution under the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

Officials had on Tuesday said Haryana has banned the use of four-wheeler light motor vehicles of Bharat Stage-III (petrol) and BS IV (diesel) category in Gurugram and Faridabad districts.

He said there has been a 38 per cent reduction in stubble burning incidents in 2023 compared to the previous year, with a substantial 57 per cent reduction observed in the last two years.

The chief secretary underscored the state government’s efforts to reduce stubble burning incidents and minimize farm fires.

Mr Kaushal said the state government has imposed restrictions on BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel Light Motor Vehicles (4 wheelers) in the Gurugram and Faridabad districts with immediate effect until November 30 or until the revocation of GRAP Stage III by the Commission for Air Quality Management, whichever occurs earlier.

The vehicles exclude those deployed in emergency services, police vehicles, and government vehicles used for enforcement, the official statement said.

“Violators found using BS-III Petrol and BS-IV Diesel LMVs (4 Wheelers) in these districts will face prosecution under Section 194(1) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988,” he said.

The air quality in Delhi and its adjoining areas in the National Capital Region (NCR) worsened on Wednesday, with smoke from post-harvest paddy straw burning in neighbouring states contributing to the air pollution in the national capital.

Meanwhile, Mr Kaushal said Haryana cultivates 36.5 lakh acres of paddy, comprising 18.36 lakh acres of Basmati cultivation and approximately 18.2 lakh acres of non-Basmati cultivation.

During the virtual meeting, he highlighted the steps taken by the state government, such as issuing instructions to hold deputy commissioners and station house officers liable for not controlling farm fires.

He reiterated the state government’s commitment to eliminating unsustainable practices like paddy straw stubble burning, emphasizing support for farmers through a subsidy of Rs 600 crore for adopting various stubble management practices.

“The use of Pusa Bio Decomposer on over 5 lakh acres through CSR initiatives further demonstrates this commitment,” he said.

Haryana’s comprehensive strategy includes both in-situ and ex-situ management, with a focus on categorizing villages into red, yellow, and green zones based on active fire incidents.

The state government is dedicated to providing Crop Residue Management (CRM) machines to farmers at a subsidy, with 19,141 lakh machines already sanctioned to the farming community. An area of 940 lakh acres has been registered for incentives of Rs 1,000 per acre, he said.

A sessions court here has convicted and imposed the death penalty on a man for killing an old woman and a two-year-old girl in 2017 by setting them on fire, noting the case falls under the “rarest of rare” category.

Sessions Judge A Subramaniam, in a judgment delivered on November 7, noted the crime committed by the accused, Deepak Jath, undoubtedly falls under the category of “the rarest of rare” cases warranting the death penalty.

The prosecution case is that in April 2017, Jath poured some liquid on four persons — two women, a 17-year-old girl and a two-year-old girl — and set them on fire in suburban Bandra, leading to their death. One of the women and the two-year-old girl died due to burn injuries.

The case is that Jath had earlier harassed the 17-year-old girl and was irked when he was admonished for the same. The court refused to accept Jath’s claim he was not mentally sound.

“I believe that the manner of causing death and pouring inflammable material on the victims, and clod bloodedly lighting them up which included an old helpless lady and a small child of couple of years shows the dastardly act and classifies it as such,” the court said.

“Society abhors such crimes which shock the conscience of the society and always attracts intense and extreme indignation of the community,” it noted.

Jath had, in his defence, claimed he was irked with one of the victims who had used certain derogatory words against him.

The court, however, said, “Can that be said to be provocation or adequate provocation for committing such a ghastly act. I feel the answer lies in the question itself.”