U.S. Navy warship downs Iranian-backed air assault in the Red Sea

The guided-missile destroyer USS Mason sails alongside the Japanese Murasame-class destroyer Akebono in the Gulf of Aden on November 25, 2023. According to U.S. Central Command, on December 28, the Mason intercepted a drone and a missile fired by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea where the Mason is part of a fleet of allied ships attempting to keep the peace as the war between Hamas and Gaza wages on.

Dec. 28 (UPI) — The Navy’s USS Mason shot down one drone and one anti-ship ballistic missile in the Southern Red Sea that were fired by the Houthi rebels, the U.S. Central Command said Thursday.

The attack occurred between 5:45 p.m. and 6:10 p.m. Sanaa time, U.S. officials said.

This is the 22nd attempted attack on international shipping vessels since Oct. 19, CENTCOM said. There were no reports of damage or injury in the incident, which have become nearly routine for U.S. vessels patrolling the Red Sea to try to instill and maintain maritime order in light of the conflict between Hamaz and Gaza. There are currently 18 vessels in the region and none have reported damage from the nearly two dozen attacks.

Most of the munitions that have been fired, either at allied vessels or in their vicinity on their way to Israel, have been fired by Iranian backed forces, like the Houthis, CENTCOM has said.

In an attempt to beat back the Houthi militia threat, the U.S has issued sanctions against groups that have assisted Iran either with weapons or funding. It has also launched the multinational Operation Prosperity Guardian with the aim of countering the escalating Houthi attacks.