US warship opens fire, shoots down attacking UAV in Red Sea

USS Thomas Hudner en route to the Mediterranean in 2021 (Photo: Reuters).

The US Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner shot down an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) launched from Yemen over the Red Sea on November 15, Pentagon officials said.

According to RT news agency, the drone is said to have targeted the US warship.

Officials did not disclose whether the drone was armed or how close it came to the US destroyer before it was shot down.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the latest UAV launch, although Yemen's Houthi forces shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Red Sea last week.

Last month, another US warship intercepted four cruise missiles and 15 drones launched by the Houthis from Yemen toward Israel.

The Houthis recently warned that Israeli ships in the area and other Yemeni territorial waters could be targeted.

The Houthis, a pro-Iran force, have emerged as a major military force in the Arabian Peninsula, with tens of thousands of fighters and a huge arsenal of ballistic missiles and armed drones.

Location of the Red Sea (Photo: Sputnik).

The Houthis are part of the “axis of resistance,” a group of anti-Israeli forces in the Middle East. They are opposed to the government in Yemen and have controlled the Yemeni capital Sanaa since 2014.

The group has claimed responsibility for numerous drone and missile attacks on Israel amid its war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The US has deployed a significant naval force to the Middle East over the past month, including two aircraft carriers, support ships and thousands of troops.

Since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out, the US has carried out three airstrikes against Iran-aligned militias in Syria in response to a series of attacks on US troops in Iraq and Syria.

The Pentagon said US and coalition forces have been attacked at least 55 times in Iraq and Syria since October 17, injuring 59 service members, but all have since returned to duty. The attacks were believed to be in response to US support for Israel in the Gaza war.

The US military is taking new measures to protect its forces in the Middle East amid increased attacks by suspected Iran-backed groups, Reuters reported, leaving open the possibility of evacuating military families if necessary.

Those measures include increasing U.S. military patrols, restricting access to base facilities and stepping up intelligence gathering, including through drones and other surveillance operations, officials said.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/tau-chien-my-khai-hoa-ban-ha-uav-tan-cong-tren-bien-do-20231116070828810.htm