On Tuesday, the United States forces destroyed 12 Houthi-launched drones and five missiles over the southern Red Sea in the Middle East.
The US Central Command claimed that the drones and missiles were fired from Yemen by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.
US Destroys Houthi-Launched Drones, Missiles
The Central Command stated that the USS Laboon destroyer and F-18 Super Hornets had destroyed 12 one-way attack drones, three anti-ship ballistic missiles, and two land attack cruise missiles fired from Houthi-controlled territory in over 10 hours.
According to The Independent, there were no reported injuries or damage to ships. The Houthi rebels in Yemen attacked the cargo ships in the Red Sea with drones and missiles, disrupting global supply chains and forcing large shipping companies to stop using the crucial route.
Last week, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced a new US-led multinational operation to protect ships in the Red Sea. The operation includes military personnel from the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Bahrain.
In early November, the US had already distributed the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group to the Middle East amid the rising tensions in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The Biden administration blamed Iran, which provides funding and training for Hamas, for the attacks of Houthi militants against commercial and military vessels entering the Suez Canal.
The US has carried out strikes against Iran-backed militant groups in Iraq after three US service members were wounded in drone strikes on Erbil Air Base in northern Iraq on Christmas Day. The Kataib Hezbollah militant and affiliated groups have claimed responsibility for the attack, resulting in one service member in critical condition.
US forces in the Middle East continued to face escalating threats since the October 7 Hamas terror attacks on Israel, which killed around 1,200 Israelis. On Monday, Iran pledged to take revenge for the death of one of its top generals, Seyed Razi Mousavi, who was killed in the Syrian capital of Damascus.
General Qassem Soleimani, the deceased commander of Iran's special Quds Force, was a close associate of Mousavi, who was killed in January 2020 in an American drone strike in Iraq.
President Biden was informed of the drone attack on US forces in Iraq. According to White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson, Biden ordered the Department of Defense to prepare a response.
Who are the Houthis?
The majority of northern Yemen has been under the militant Houthis' control, including Sana'a, the country's capital. Iran supports both the Houthis and Hamas, which on October 7 launched a deadly strike on Israel from the Gaza Strip.
Following the Israel-Hamas conflict, the Houthis launched a campaign of missile and drone strikes against ships in the Red Sea that they claimed had connections to Israel. The Red Sea was a crucial commercial channel and the route to the Suez Canal, used by 10-15% of all ships worldwide.
