U.S. warship takes out missiles, drones from Yemen possibly heading to Israel

A U.S. Navy destroyer operating in the northern Red Sea intercepted three cruise missiles and “several” drones that had been launched from Yemen and were possibly heading toward Israel, Pentagon officials said Thursday.

The USS Carney shot down the missiles and drones because they posed a “potential threat” to U.S. and allied forces in the region. They were launched by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen and followed a flight plan north along the Red Sea, potentially toward targets in Israel, the Defense Department said.

U.S. forces have streamed to the Middle East since the Oct. 7 rampage by Hamas militants killed over 1,400 Israelis and ignited fears of a new regional conflict.
 
“We are prepared to utilize whatever is necessary to protect our partners and our interests in this important region,” Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters.

There were no injuries to U.S. military personnel, and Pentagon officials said they don’t know if any civilians were hurt. It wasn’t immediately clear if the drone and missile attacks from Yemen were connected to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, Defense Department officials said.

U.S. officials have also reported an “uptick” in drone attacks by local militias against U.S. forces stationed in Iraq and Syria, although it was not clear if they were related to the rising tensions over the Israeli-Hamas clash.

The leader of Yemen’s Houthi rebel army, Abdel-Malik al-Houthi, has threatened to use missiles and drones if the U.S. intervenes on Israel’s side against Hamas and an expected ground war against the group that U.S. and Israeli officials consider a terrorist organization in its Gaza stronghold.

“There are red lines when it comes to Gaza,” Mr. al-Houthi said, according to Reuters. “We warn America that its direct intervention in the aggression against the Palestinian people means turning it into a regional war.”

The Houthis have battled a Saudi-backed force for control of the region’s poorest country for years, sparking a humanitarian crisis. The rebel force has fired on Saudi targets before with missile attacks across the border.