Down Angle Symbol A symbol in the form of an angle pointing downwards. The US destroyer USS Laboon (left) and F-18 Super Hornets (right) shot down over a dozen drones and missiles fired by Iranian-backed rebels near the Red Sea. Stocktrek Images/Getty Images; ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images
- For 10 hours, Iranian-backed rebels fired more than a dozen drones and missiles around the Red Sea.
- The US Navy says it shot them down.
- The USS Laboon and F-18 Super Hornets with the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group stopped the attacks.
The US Navy says it has achieved another victory over Iran-backed Houthi rebels who have been harassing cargo ships in the Red Sea.
US Central Command said in a statement on Tuesday
U.S. military assets – including the destroyer USS Laboon and F-18 Super Hornet fighter jets from the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group – shot down each of these attempts, CENTCOM said.
It is unclear whether further attempts were made, but CENTCOM wrote that no ships were damaged in the area and no one was injured.
Another clash with Iranian-backed rebels
Tuesday's attacks were the latest clashes between U.S. forces and Houthi rebels around the Red Sea.
For months, Iran-backed militants have fired rockets and drones into Israeli territory and cargo ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, justifying the attacks as resistance to Israel's bombing and invasion of Gaza.
Naval forces opposed them. Earlier this month, the Navy boasted that the destroyer USS Carney remained undefeated against the Houthis, firing 22 missiles and drones without taking a hit.
The rebels do not pose a major threat to U.S. warships, former Navy sailors previously told Business Insider.
However, cargo ships are a different story.
Some major shipping companies said they had diverted or delayed ships. Portal reported last week that some ships had turned off their tracking signals to avoid attacks.
Last week, U.S. Defense Secretary Austin Lloyd reiterated that U.S. forces would work with an international coalition to defend against attacks on shipping lanes, but said more needed to be done.
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