US Navy Shoots Down Drones Launched By Houthis Over Red Sea

The United States has intercepted and shot down several one-way attack drones launched by Iran-backed Yemeni Houthis on Thursday morning.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced in a post on X that the attack was repelled by the USS Thomas Hudner, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer.

“The drones were shot down while the US warship was on patrol in the Red Sea,” added the report.

According to CENTCOM, “the ship and crew sustained no damage or injury.”

The attack came hours after the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) shot down a cruise missile over the Red Sea before it could infiltrate into the Israeli territory.

The missile, which targeted Israel’s southernmost city of Eilat, was believed to have been launched by Yemen’s Houthis, The Times of Israel reported.

On November 15, the Hudner engaged another drone that originated from Yemen. The US Defense Department said in a statement regarding the attack that the drone “was heading in the direction of the ship.”

Since Hamas’s deadly onslaught on Israel on October 7, Yemen’s Houthis, backed by the Iranian regime, have launched several drone and missile attacks against US and Israeli targets in the region.

The Israeli military said on Sunday that Yemen's Houthis had seized a cargo ship in the southern Red Sea as it was sailing from Turkey to India.

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office issued a statement after the hijacking of the ship, calling it “an act of Iranian terrorism.”

Though the Islamic Republic has avoided any direct involvement in the Israel-Hamas conflict, the regime has used its proxy groups in the region such as Houthis and Hezbollah to attack Israel and American targets.