US warship in Red Sea intercepts explosive-laden drones launched from Yemen

Ballistic missile intercepted

23 November 2023; MEMO: The Pentagon announced this morning that a US destroyer intercepted several explosive-laden drones launched from Yemen from areas controlled by the Houthis.

The US Central Military Command, Centcom, said in a post on X: “On the morning (Yemen time) of November 23, the USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116) shot down multiple one-way attack drones launched from Houthi controlled areas in Yemen. The drones were shot down while the U.S. warship was on patrol in the Red Sea. The ship and crew sustained no damage or injury.”

Centcom did not clarify where they thought the drones were heading when they were shot down, but in recent weeks the Houthis have launched drones and missiles towards territories occupied by Israel.

Yesterday, the Israeli occupation army announced that it intercepted a cruise missile that was launched towards the city of Eilat, while the Houthis claimed responsibility for launching a batch of missiles from Yemen towards southern occupied Palestine.

The Houthis yesterday warned Israel’s allies that they had become a “legitimate target” in the Bab El-Mandab Strait, after the Houthis seized a cargo ship linked to an Israeli businessman last week in response to the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.