U.S. Central Command reported on Saturday that a Navy ship shot down 14 drones launched from Houthi-dominated areas in Yemen.
The agency reported that unmanned aerial systems "were assessed to be one-way attack drones and were shot down with no damage to ships in the area or reported injuries."
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In the early morning hours of December 16 (Sanna time) the US Arliegh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS CARNEY (DDG 64), operating in the Red Sea, successfully engaged 14 unmanned aerial systems launched as a drone wave from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. The UAS were… pic.twitter.com/Rjkzng5LxW
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) December 16, 2023
The USS Carney shot down at least three other Houthi drones in the southern Red Sea earlier this month, and the USS Thomas Hudner shot down multiple similar drones in November.
U.S. forces have responded to escalating tensions in the region by launching strikes in eastern Syria and Iraq, targeting weapons caches used by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its proxy militia groups, including Houthi rebels.
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Houthi activities have increased substantially in the wake of Hamas's attack on Israel on Oct. 7. The Iranian-backed rebel group has been vocally supportive of Palestinians and has organized protests in Yemen against the Israeli offensive in Gaza.
American officials have not said that the Houthis are intentionally targeting various warships in the region with drone or missile strikes, noting only that they were enough of a threat to justify engagement.