A US destroyer ship in the Red Sea shot down three cruise missiles and several drones launched by Houthi rebels from Yemen on Thursday, the Pentagon reported. The US Department of Defense believes that the projectiles fired by these Iran-aligned groups could have been aimed at Israel.
“We cannot say for sure what these missiles and drones were aimed at, but they were fired from Yemen north along the Red Sea, possibly against targets in Israel,” Pentagon spokesman General Patrick Ryder said in a statement at a news conference.
“As far as we know, no injuries were reported when the destroyer Carney fired the projectiles,” the spokesman said. Initial analyzes rule out that the ship was the target of the attack.
“This action is a demonstration of the integrated defense architecture we have built in the Middle East and which we are prepared to deploy when necessary to protect our partners and our interests in this important region,” Ryder added.
US forces are on high alert to detect possible activities by Iran or Islamic regime-backed groups that could help destabilize the Middle East at a time of high tensions due to the war between Israel and Hamas.
Drone attacks on US positions in the region have increased since the crisis began. Earlier this week, several unmanned aircraft attacked various US military bases in Iraq. In Syria, two drones attacked a barracks where US soldiers were stationed. One was intercepted and the second hit the terrain. A military base in Iraq was also alerted to a possible drone attack this Thursday. This did not happen, but a civilian contractor suffered a heart attack and died shortly afterwards.
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“I will not predict possible responses to these attacks, but we have taken all necessary measures to defend the United States and coalition forces against any threat,” Ryder said. “If there is a response, it will be at a time and place of our choosing.”
The United States has increased its military presence in the region and already has numerous bases, warships and soldiers there. Since the crisis began on October 7, when the radical Palestinian militia Hamas attacked Israel, leaving more than 1,400 dead, Washington has deployed its largest aircraft carrier, the Gerald Ford, to the eastern Mediterranean, which will attack a second aircraft carrier, the Dwight, in the coming days Eisenhower will join. A unit of 2,200 Marines was also deployed to the region.
The Defense Department has also put 2,000 troops on alert to be ready to deploy to the Middle East within 24 hours, rather than the usual 96.
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