Navy Shoots Down Iran-Backed Houthi Drones Over Red Sea

In a sustained attack lasting several hours off the coast of Yemen, U.S. forces in the Middle East successfully intercepted a barrage of enemy weapons on Tuesday.

The surge in insurgent attacks in the region over the past few weeks follows Hamas' surprise assault on Israel in October.

NEW: U.S. forces in the Middle East shot down a barrage of enemy weapons Tuesday off the coast of Yemen during a sustained attack that lasted for several hours.https://t.co/jm08KXrVkB

— Stars and Stripes (@starsandstripes) December 26, 2023

None of the attacks on U.S. bases have resulted in American casualties or significant damage to the bases.

On Tuesday, U.S. fighter jets and a warship thwarted a series of missiles and attack drones in the southern Red Sea during a 10-hour operation.

The downed weapons included twelve one-way attack drones, three anti-ship ballistic missiles, and two land attack cruise missiles.

The USS Laboon and F/A-18 Super Hornets from the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group were among the assets involved in shooting down the enemy weapons, according to U.S. Central Command, the top combatant command in the Middle East. There were no reported injuries or damage to ships in the area.

Although the exact targets of the drones and missiles remain unclear, U.S. forces in the region have previously conducted "self-defense strikes" against similar threats.

The attacks on Tuesday were attributed to Houthi rebels, Iranian-aligned militants engaged in a prolonged conflict with the Yemeni government since 2014. The Red Sea's western coast borders Yemen.

Houthi rebels have also targeted commercial vessels in the Red Sea, a crucial trade route in the region.

This incident occurred a day after a militant attack in northern Iraq wounded three American service members, prompting President Joe Biden to order retaliatory strikes against the Iranian-aligned Kataib Hezbollah group in multiple locations in Iraq.

Since October 17, when a hospital blast in Gaza occurred, Iranian-backed militias have carried out over 100 attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria, coinciding with the Israel-Hamas conflict that started more than two months ago.