US Warship Downs Three Iranian Drones and Ballistic Missile Fired By Houthis

A US warship shot down three Iranian drones and a ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Tehran-backed Houthi rebels on Wednesday.

“Iranian-backed Houthi militants fired one anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward the Gulf of Aden. The missile was successfully shot down by the USS Carney,” the Central Command said in a statement, referring to a US Navy destroyer.

Less than an hour later, “the USS Carney engaged and shot down three Iranian UAVs in its vicinity,” CENTCOM said, without specifying whether the drones were armed or just for surveillance.

On Wednesday, Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group said it would keep up attacks on US and British warships in the Red Sea in what it called acts of self defence, stoking fears of long-term disruptions to world trade. In a statement, the group’s military spokesperson said all American and British warships participating in “aggression” against its country were targets.

The US and Britain have launched strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen and returned the militia to a list of terrorist groups as turmoil from the Israel-Hamas war spreads through the region. The Houthis, who control the most populous parts of Yemen, have been attacking ships in and around the Red Sea, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza war.

That conflict has spilled over into other parts of the Middle East. Lebanon’s Iran-aligned Hezbollah has traded fire with Israeli troops along the border and Iraqi-armed groups have attacked US forces in Iraq. The Houthis attacks on the Red Sea have added an economic element to the turmoil by targeting shipping in and around the Red Sea.

(With agency inputs)