A US Navy warship shot down a drone that was heading toward the ship as it sailed in the southern Red Sea, US officials said Wednesday, according to The Associated Press.
The USS Thomas Hudner, a naval destroyer, was sailing toward the Bab-el-Mandeb strait when the crew saw the drone, which originated in Yemen, the report said. The ship shot down the drone over the water.
The officials said the crew took action to ensure the safety of US personnel, and there were no casualties or damage to the ship.
According to an initial intelligence assessment, the drone was likely targeting the ship, said one of the officials.
The US did not directly blame the Iran-backed Houthi rebels for launching the unmanned aircraft, but the incident comes less than a week after Houthis shot down a US drone over the Red Sea.
The Pentagon later said that the Houthis attempted to recover the US drone they shot down but it is unlikely they will recover anything of significance.
The Houthis have launched at least six aerial attacks against Israel since October 7 and, according to the group’s leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, have vowed to target ships operating in the Red Sea.
Two weeks ago, the group released footage showing its members launching a missile towards Israel from Yemenite territory.
The footage was released after the Houthis confirmed that they launched a UAV towards Israel.
In mid-October, a US Navy warship operating in the Middle East intercepted multiple projectiles near the coast of Yemen which were believed to have targeted Israel.
Days later, an explosion occurred at a medical facility in the Egyptian resort town of Taba, located near the Israeli border. Authorities suspect that the explosion was caused by a downed unmanned aircraft that was launched by Houthi rebels in Yemen and was directed towards Eilat.
The Houthis took control of Yemen's capital, Sanaa, in 2014, launching a years-long civil war against the internationally recognized government of Yemen.
It has long been believed that Iran is planning to use the Houthis to take over Yemen and seize the key strategic port of Aden, which controls the entrance to the Red Sea and ultimately to Eilat.
Iran denies it is backing the Houthis and has also denied Saudi Arabian accusations that Tehran provided the Houthi rebels in Yemen with ballistic capabilities.