A US Navy warship, the Carney, shot down an Iranian-made drone launched from the Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, the US Central Command reported on Wednesday.
The agency added that the Carney was escorting two ships at the time, one of which was transporting military equipment to the region. According to the statement, there were no injuries among US personnel and US ships were not damaged.
Although its intentions are not known, the UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] was heading toward the warship.
Washington is on high alert as regional tensions rise sharply over the Israel-Hamas conflict amid concerns that it could escalate. Over the past month, the US has sent a significant amount of naval forces to the Middle East, including two aircraft carriers, support ships and thousands of American soldiers.
The incident came amid growing fears of increased danger at sea for commercial vessels after armed groups attacked and hijacked ships in the Red Sea waters and off the coast of Yemen.
The attempted hijacking of a commercial vessel in the Gulf of Aden on Sunday appeared to have been carried out by armed Somali pirates rather than Yemeni Houthis, despite the subsequent firing of missiles from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen, the Pentagon reported on Monday.
On November 19, the Houthis seized the Galaxy Leader car carrier which was being taken to the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, the ship’s owner revealed. Both ships had ties to Israeli business magnates, according to shipping reports.
The International Chamber of Shipping Association stated that “the attacks must stop immediately and the innocent seafarers released.”
In all cases, these vessels are conducting their right of freedom of navigation and innocent passage.
An Israeli container shipping line announced on Sunday that it expected to increase the sailing time of its ships.
“In light of the threat to safe transit of global trade in the Arabian and Red Seas, ZIM is taking temporary proactive measures to ensure the safety of its crews, vessels, and customers’ cargo by re-routing some of its vessels.”
The US Maritime Administration MARAD stated in a Sunday report that the vessels faced multiple threats after the attacks.
Exercise caution when transiting these areas and remain cognisant of evolving threats in this region.
