A U.S. Navy warship on Thursday took down three missiles fired from Yemen that were heading north and several drones, according to the Pentagon.
The USS Carney, a destroyer, was in the Red Sea and intercepted the missiles and drones, according Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder.
“We cannot say for certain what these drones and missiles were targeting, but they were launched from Yemen and heading North along the Red Sea, potentially towards targets in Israel,” Ryder told reporters at the Pentagon Thursday.
One U.S. official said the U.S. does not believe the missiles were aimed at the ship.
The Pentagon said Thursday that information about the engagements is still being processed.
Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have expressed support for the Palestinians and threatened Israel. Last week, in Yemen’s Sanaa, which is held by the Houthi rebels still at war with a Saudi-led coalition, demonstrators crowded the streets waving Yemeni and Palestinian flags. The rebels’ slogan long has been, “God is the greatest; death to America; death to Israel; curse of the Jews; victory to Islam.”
Last week, Abdel-Malek al-Houthi, the rebel group’s leader, warned the United States against intervening in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, threatening that his forces would retaliate by firing drones and missiles.
Eleanor Watson contributed to this report.
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