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The U.S. Navy fired anti-ship ballistic missiles against incoming Iran-backed Houthi missiles in the Red Sea on Tuesday, signaling a significant escalation in the region, a senior defense official told Fox News.
The Navy used three ballistic missiles that Iran had provided to the Houthis in Yemen. It was the first time the Navy shot down an incoming ballistic missile using an anti-ship ballistic missile.
Marine units, including the USS Laboon and the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group's F/A-18 Super Hornets, shot down 12 disposable attack drones, three anti-ship missiles and two land-attack missiles fired by the Houthis over a 12-month period . hour, US Central Command said.
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Since October 17, nearly 100 Houthis-operated drones have been shot down. The group has attacked more than 21 international ships in the region, causing disruption to global shipping.
Iran claims to be developing “smart” cruise missiles for naval arsenal
This November 12, 2018 photo shows the USS Carney in the Mediterranean. The American warship and several merchant ships were attacked in the Red Sea on Sunday, December 3, 2023, the Pentagon said. (Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Ryan U. Kledzik/US Navy via AP)
Switzerland-based Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC) said on Tuesday that its container ship MSC United VIII was attacked around 12:25 UTC while en route from King Abdullah Port in Saudi Arabia to Karachi in Pakistan.
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“Currently, all crew are safe, no injuries have been reported, and a thorough investigation of the vessel is underway,” MSC said in a statement. “Our top priority remains protecting the lives and safety of our sailors, and until their safety can be ensured, MSC will continue to reroute ships booked for Suez transit via the Cape of Good Hope.”
Following the Israeli military offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, attacks in the Red Sea have increased sharply.
Major shipping companies, including Denmark-based giant Maersk, are avoiding the Red Sea and sending their ships around Africa and the Cape of Good Hope, adding costs and delays.
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Tuesday's operation came after three U.S. soldiers were injured in Iraq on Christmas Day when terrorists from Kataib Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy, attacked the Erbil air base. One of the injured was in critical condition.
In response, U.S. forces conducted airstrikes on three facilities used by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups in Iraq,” said Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin.
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Fox News' Bradford Betz contributed to this report.