US Navy takes out barrage fired by Yemeni rebels

USS Carney was patrolling in the Red Sea as part of a heavily reinforced US military presence ordered by President Joe Biden.

F/A-18 Super Hornets prepare for flight operations on the USS Gerald R. Ford in the eastern Mediterranean last week. Picture: US NAVY via AFP

A US Navy ship in the Red Sea on Thursday shot down missiles and drones that had been fired by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, possibly at Israel.

Three “land-attack cruise ­missiles and several drones” were intercepted by a destroyer, Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said. The attack was “launched by Houthi forces in Yemen” potentially towards targets in Israel.

The ship, the USS Carney, was patrolling in the Red Sea as part of a heavily reinforced US military presence ordered by President Joe Biden to maintain stability following the outbreak of war ­between Israel and Hamas.

Brigadier General Ryder said that missiles were fired from Yemen where the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels are at war with a government backed by a Saudi-led coalition. He said there were no US casualties and that the intercepted missiles likely fell in open water, not 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.”

Mr Biden has ordered increased air and naval assets – including dispatching two aircraft carrier battle groups – to the Middle East to guard against the Israel-Hamas war spilling over in the tinderbox region. On Tuesday, the Pentagon also ordered 2000 personnel on standby for potential deployment.

Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said the deployment would allow the US “to respond more quickly” to the crisis, while the White House stressed it did not intend to put US combat forces on the ground.

US media reported the troops being readied for deployment would cover support roles such as medical assistance and handling explosives.

Asked by journalists late on Wednesday about reports that his administration had told Israel that US forces would fight alongside Israeli troops in response to any attack by the powerful ­Lebanese movement Hezbollah against Israel, Mr 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.

AFP