WASHINGTON — An American military drone was shot down on Tuesday in Yemen, southeast of the capital, Sana, officials said Wednesday, in the second such episode this summer.

Iranian-backed Houthi forces claimed credit for the downing of the unmanned drone, an MQ-9 Reaper.

In a statement on Wednesday, the United States Central Command said it was investigating the incident, which it said occurred in “authorized airspace over Yemen.”

“We have been clear that Iran’s provocative actions and support to proxy forces, like the Iranian-backed Houthis, poses a serious threat to stability in the region and our partners,” Lt. Col. Earl Brown, a Central Command spokesman, said in the statement.

The Associated Press reported that Yahia Sarie, a military spokesman for the Houthis, said in a statement that Houthi air defenses downed an American drone on Tuesday over the city of Dhamar. He said the drone was hit by a missile.