WASHINGTON — Three drones and a missile fired from Yemen at the destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) in the Red Sea on Tuesday were shot down, the US military reported after Houthi rebels announced they targeted two Washington warships.
The Houthis have been carrying out attacks in the Red Sea for several months and so far repeated American and British response attacks have not prevented the important trade route from being under threat.
“U.S. Central Command (Centcom) forces shot down an anti-ship ballistic missile and three one-way strike unmanned aerial systems launched from areas in Yemen controlled by the Iranian-backed Houthis, toward the USS Carney (DDG 64) at sea Red,” the army explained.
“There are no injuries or damage to the ship,” Centcom added, mentioning that US forces later also destroyed three anti-ship missiles and three naval drones in Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen.
That group’s military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said earlier that his forces had targeted two American destroyers in the Red Sea “with a certain number of drones and missiles.”
The Houthis claim that “they will not stop until the aggression and siege imposed on the Gaza Strip stops,” Saree said on social media.
They began their attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea in November, indicating that they were targeting ships linked to Israel in support of Hamas in Gaza. The war in Gaza began after the lethal attack by Hamas terrorists on Israel that left 1,200 dead, mostly civilians, and kidnapped more than 200 people.
Source: With information from AP
