A U.S. Navy destroyer shot down a drone headed toward the vessel in an act of self-defense, according to the Pentagon. The incident followed several shootdowns of missiles headed toward Israel by U.S. Navy vessels and more than four dozen attacks on American forces in the Middle East since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict last month.
The USS Thomas Hudner fired on and downed a drone approaching the vessel. The incident occurred in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen.
The incident follows multiple downings of missiles fired at Israel by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The rebel group is backed by Iran, which sponsors a number of terrorist organizations around the Middle East. The State Department deemed the Islamic Republic a primary state sponsor of global terrorism.
In addition, the Houthi rebels also shot down an American MQ-9 Reaper drone off the coast of Yemen.
The rebels have also threatened to attack any Israeli vessels in the Red Sea.
“I wouldn’t say that it’s inviting more aggressive or further response from the Houthis. We’ve seen the Houthis do this before,” a Pentagon spokesperson said.
“We’ve seen one of our MQ-9s shot down before in the past. I’m not saying that we’re not going to respond. We always reserve the right to respond at a time and place of our choosing,” said the Department of Defense official.
U.S. Officials have now Confirmed that the USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116), a Arleigh Burke-Class Guided Missile Destroyer of the U.S. Navy conducted a Shoot Down of a Unknown Drone this morning over the Red Sea which was launched by the Houthis in Yemen towards Israel; this is only… pic.twitter.com/yhPG149p5u
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) November 15, 2023
Overall, there have been at least 56 attacks on American forces since the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack in Israel. Overall, almost 60 American personnel have been injured, including some with traumatic brain injuries (TBIs).
Furthermore, one American civilian contractor died of a heart attack during a false alarm of an attack.
The attacks on American forces in Iraq and Syria have included a number of drone and rocket attacks by Iranian-backed groups.
Since the start of the attacks, the United States has launched a number of retaliatory raids against the militia groups. However, despite the strikes, the missile and drone attacks have continued.
