US strikes 10 Houthi drones in Yemen, downs 3 unmanned Iranian aircraft as regional tensions escalate
- US forces target Houthi drones, UAV ground control station, an anti-ship missile and three Iranian drones
- Iran-aligned Houthis have launched a wave of exploding drones and missiles at vessels in the Red Sea
American forces carried out strikes in Yemen against 10 attack drones and a ground control station belonging to the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, the US military said on Wednesday.
A US warship also shot down an anti-ship missile fired by the Houthis and later downed three Iranian drones, Central Command (CENTCOM) said.
While the United States has recently launched strikes on the Houthis and other Tehran-supported groups in the region, both it and Iran have sought to avoid a direct confrontation, and the downing of three Iranian drones could heighten tensions.
Early on Thursday local time, US forces targeted a “Houthi UAV ground control station and 10 Houthi one-way UAVs” that “presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and the US Navy ships in the region,” CENTCOM said in a statement, using an abbreviation for unmanned aerial vehicle.
CENTCOM earlier announced that the USS Carney had shot down an anti-ship ballistic missile fired by the Houthis, and then downed three Iranian drones less than an hour later.