A U.S. warship on Wednesday shot down an Iranian-made drone launched by Houthi rebels in Yemen, Pentagon officials said, the latest in a string of confrontations between American forces and Iran-backed groups in the Middle East.
U.S. officials said the drone’s exact intentions aren’t clear, but the unmanned craft was headed toward the USS Carney, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer operating in the southern Red Sea.
At the time of the shoot-down, the Carney was escorting other U.S. ships carrying military equipment to the region, officials said.
The U.S. has ramped up its military presence in the Middle East in the weeks since an Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel perpetrated by Hamas, a Palestinian militant group supported by Iran. Tehran also backs the Houthi rebels, who control parts of Yemen.
Since Oct. 7, the Houthis have launched multiple drones and missiles that were believed to be aimed at Israel. And earlier this week, they fired ballistic missiles in the vicinity of U.S. warships and commercial vessels in Middle Eastern waters — though Pentagon officials said it does not appear the Houthis were explicitly targeting American ships.
In other instances, the Houthis have taken clear aim at U.S. aircraft.
On Nov. 8, they shot down a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone operating in international airspace off the coast of Yemen, U.S. defense officials confirmed at the time.
Clashes between U.S. troops and other Iran-linked groups have increased dramatically since Oct. 7. Iran-backed militias operating in Iraq and Syria have routinely targeted U.S. forces in both of those countries, and American troops have responded with multiple airstrikes against militia positions.
The Pentagon has stressed that it does not want the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip to escalate into a wider war.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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