An American destroyer shot down more than a dozen drones in the Red Sea on Saturday that had launched from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, U.S. Central Command said.
“The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS CARNEY, operating in the Red Sea, successfully attacked 14 unmanned aerial systems launched as a wave of drones from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen,” CENTCOM said on social media platform X, earlier known as Twitter.
The aircraft were “classified as single-use attack drones and were shot down with no damage to ships in the area or reports of injuries,” the statement said.
Click here to view related media.
Click to expand
Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have launched a series of drone and rocket attacks on Israel since Hamas militants poured across the border into Israel on October 7, killing about 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli figures. Around 240 people were kidnapped in the attacks.
Promising to destroy Hamas and return the hostages, Israel launched a massive military offensive that killed at least 18,800 people, mostly women and children, according to the Health Ministry of Hamas-controlled territory, according to the latest Hamas figures. government in Gaza emerges.
The Houthi rebels have threatened to attack all ships heading to Israeli ports unless food and medicine are allowed to enter the besieged Gaza Strip.
Container shipping giant Maersk has ordered ships approaching the Red Sea to halt their voyages after Houthi missiles struck merchant vessels in the region.
The Mediterranean Shipping Company said in a news release Saturday that its ships “will not transit the Suez Canal in either an east or west direction” after a container ship transiting the Red Sea was attacked on Friday. After minor fire damage, the container ship was taken out of service.
MSC said its shipping services would be rerouted via the Cape of Good Hope.
The recent attacks mark a significant escalation in the threat to shipping in the region.
Israel and Hamas at war
More more
Read more