US warship successfully intercepts attack drones launched from Yemen

In a recent incident reported by the US Central Command (CENTCOM), the USS Thomas Hudner, a guided-missile destroyer patrolling the Red Sea, successfully shot down multiple attack drones launched from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen.

The one-way drones were intercepted on Thursday morning, with no reported damage to the US vessel or injuries to its crew.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels, aligning themselves with Iran’s allies in the “axis of resistance,” have been involved in a series of drone and missile launches, particularly targeting Israel since the onset of the Gaza conflict. The spokesperson for the Houthi armed wing, Yahya Saree, stated that such operations would persist until Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank ceases.

The tensions escalated further when the Houthis seized an Israel-linked cargo vessel at the entrance to the Red Sea on Sunday, prompting strong reactions from Israel, describing the incident as a “very grave incident of global consequence.” A US military official labeled it as a “flagrant violation of international law.”

Notably, US assets in the Middle East have been under fire since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict on October 7. With over 66 reported attacks on US forces deployed in Iraq and Syria during this period, more than 60 personnel have suffered injuries. Responding to these attacks, the US conducted its first significant retaliatory strikes on Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq, targeting positions of the Kataib Hezbollah militia south of Baghdad, resulting in at least eight casualties.

While the US claims these actions as necessary responses to protect its personnel, Iraq’s government condemned the strikes, denouncing them as an “unacceptable violation of Iraqi sovereignty” and asserting that the US had not coordinated with them in advance.