USS Carney Shoots Down Houthi Missiles, Drones In Red Sea
Pentagon Press Secretary Brigadier General Pat Ryder said at a Thursday press conference that the U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer USS Carney shot down three cruise missiles and “several” drones launched by Houthi fighters in Yemen.
The missiles and drones were shot down over the northern Red Sea after they were determined to be a potential threat, with Gen. Ryder telling reporters that “this action was a demonstration of the integrated air and missile defense architecture that we built in the Middle East, and that we are prepared to utilize whenever necessary to protect our partners and our interest in this important region.”
No sailors were harmed during the incident, with the United States continuing to process information on the interceptions. “We cannot say for certain what these missiles and drones were targeting, but they were launched from Yemen heading north along the Red Sea, potentially towards targets in Israel”, said Gen. Ryder, adding that any similar threat in the region would have received the same response “where possible”.
Gen. Ryder’s comments followed a report by Israel’s Channel 13 that Israeli officials that spoke to the television station believed that the Houthis had intended to target Israel with the drones and missiles launched.
Gen. Ryder declined to comment on the specific weapons used to shoot down the missiles and drones, or on who gave the order to intercept them, emphasizing that U.S. forces had an inherent right to self-defense.
The USS Carney entered the Red Sea on Wednesday after transiting the Suez Canal. The Carney’s presence in the Red Sea is part of a larger regional buildup of United States military assets in the region, including the USS Eisenhower and USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike groups, following the start of a war between Israel and Hamas, with Ryder saying that the United States’ priority was to deter a larger regional conflict by working with its regional allies.