U.S. Destroys 12 Drones, 5 Missiles in 10-Hour Red Sea Attack by Houthis, Officials Announce
United States forces destroyed a 10-hour barrage of drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles launched by the Iran-backed Houthi militant group in the Red Sea on Tuesday, December 26.
Knewz.com has learned that the lengthy onslaught was shot down by the USS Laboon warship and F/A-18 Super Hornet supersonic fighter aircraft.
The USS Laboon warship. By: U.S. Navy
Houthi rebels launched the significant aerial barrage from the southern Red Sea a day after the U.S. military responded to multiple drone attacks against coalition forces in Iraq and Syria with airstrikes against several facilities used by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups.
The U.S. Central Command wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the attack began at 6:30 a.m. local time, and included 12 one-way attack drones, three anti-ship ballistic missile and two land attack cruise missiles.
“U.S. assets, to include the USS LABOON (DDG 58) and F/A-18 Super Hornets from the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, shot down twelve one-way attack drones, three anti-ship ballistic missiles, and two land attack cruise missiles in the Southern Red Sea that were fired by the Houthis over a 10 hour period which began at approximately 6:30 a.m.(Sanaa time) on December 26,” the post read.
The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier. By: MEGA
“There was no damage to ships in the area or reported injuries,” U.S. Central Command’s statement on X further read.
According to The Daily Mail, the aerial barrage shot down by U.S. forces was targeting Israel. Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces, termed the attack an “act of terror” and said that it was “carried out under Iranian directives,” according to The Economic Times.
The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier was placed in the Gulf of Aden as part of a U.S.-led coalition in the Red Sea aimed at protecting the key shipping lanes plagued by the Iran-backed militant organization.
A senior U.S. official told CNN that the Houthis launched at least 100 attacks against 12 different commercial and merchant vessels in the Red Sea in November, a level not seen in at least the last two decades.
The USS Carney fires on Houthi missiles and drones on October 19. By: MEGA
The attacks began after Israel began its offensive against Hamas in Gaza following the October 7 incursion, and Houthi militants have been known to target ships in the Red Sea that are connected to Israel in any way.
Named “Operation Prosperity Guardian,” a coalition including the U.S., the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and the Seychelles has been mobilized to the region.
The USS Laboon also shot down four drones said to have been launched by Iran-allied Houthi rebels in Yemen on Saturday, December 24, according to Navy Times.
Tuesday’s attack came after U.S. forces conducted airstrikes against several facilities used by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups ordered by President Joe Biden in retaliation to an attack carried out by the groups on the Erbil Air Base in Iraq.
United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he won’t hesitate to respond to militia attacks. By: MEGA
The U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin said in an official press release regarding the strike on Christmas day, “U.S. military forces conducted necessary and proportionate strikes on three facilities used by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups in Iraq.”
“These precision strikes are a response to a series of attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-sponsored militias, including an attack by Iran-affiliated Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups on Erbil Air Base earlier today, and intended to disrupt and degrade capabilities of the Iran-aligned militia groups directly responsible,” the official statement further read.
Austin added that neither he nor President Biden will hesitate to take “necessary action” to protect the interests of the U.S., as well as its troops abroad. “While we do not seek to escalate conflict in the region, we are committed and fully prepared to take further necessary measures to protect our people and our facilities,” he said.