According to the Pentagon, a US Navy ship in the Red Sea shot down missiles and drones fired by Iran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen, possibly at Israel.
According to Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder, three “land-attack cruise missiles and several drones” were intercepted by a destroyer. He said that the attack was “launched by Huthi forces in Yemen” and could have targeted Israeli targets.
The USS Carney was patrolling the Red Sea as part of a greatly expanded US military deployment requested by President Joe Biden to ensure stability in the aftermath of the Gaza Strip battle between Israel and the Hamas militant organisation.
Ryder stated that the missiles were launched from Yemen, where Iranian-backed Huthi rebels are fighting a government supported by a Saudi-led coalition.
He said that there were no US deaths and that the intercepted missiles most likely landed into open ocean rather than over land.
“We cannot say for certain what these missiles were targeting, but they were launched from Yemen, heading north along the Red Sea.”
“Our defensive response was one we would have taken for any similar threat in the region,” he said.
“We have the capability to defend our broader interests in the region and to deter regional escalation and broader expansion of the conflict that began with Hamas’ attack on Israeli civilians.”
Biden has directed greater aviation and naval assets to the Middle East, including the deployment of two aircraft carriers, to prevent the Israel-Hamas conflict from escalating in the volatile region.
The Pentagon also placed 2,000 personnel on alert for possible deployment on Tuesday.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the deployment would let the US to “respond more quickly” to the crisis, but the White House reiterated that no US combat soldiers would be deployed.
According to US media, the troops preparing for deployment would perform support jobs such as medical assistance and explosives handling.
Biden flew to Israel this week in a dramatic display of US solidarity, and he was scheduled to address from the White House later Thursday, pressing Congress to fund military support for Israel and another troubled US ally, Ukraine.
When asked by media late Wednesday whether his administration had told Israel that US soldiers would fight with Israeli troops in the event of an attack on Israel by the formidable Lebanese movement Hezbollah, Biden said this was “not true.”
However, he said that “our military is talking with their military about what the alternatives are” in the event of a Hezbollah attack.