No accidents or harm had been reported from the drones downed over open water, says US. (Representational)
Washington:
American forces shot down eight drones close to Yemen and destroyed 4 extra on the bottom, the US navy stated Saturday, asserting a sequence of incidents that came about the day before today.
The strikes and shootdowns in and round Yemen got here as American forces launched a wave of air raids on Iran-linked targets in Iraq and Syria in retaliation for an assault that killed three US troops final weekend.
A US Navy destroyer shot down one drone Friday morning whereas F/A-18 warplanes and one other ship downed seven later within the day, and American forces destroyed 4 extra earlier than they may very well be launched, the Central Command (CENTCOM) stated on social media.
CENTCOM stated the 4 drones destroyed on the bottom belonged to Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels, however didn’t establish a rustic or group linked to people who had been shot out of the air.
It stated no accidents or harm had been reported from the drones downed over open water.
“These actions will defend freedom of navigation and make worldwide waters safer and safer for US Navy vessels and service provider vessels,” CENTCOM stated.
The Huthis started focusing on Purple Sea transport in November, saying they had been hitting Israel-linked vessels in assist of Palestinians in Gaza, which has been ravaged by the Israel-Hamas conflict.
US and UK forces have responded with strikes in opposition to the Huthis, who’ve since declared American and British pursuits to be respectable targets as properly.
Along with strikes in opposition to the Huthis, the US arrange a multinational naval activity pressure geared toward defending transport on the transit route, which carries as much as 12 % of world commerce.
Anger over Israel’s devastating marketing campaign in Gaza — which started after an unprecedented Hamas assault on October 7 — has grown throughout the Center East, stoking violence involving Iran-backed teams in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
On January 28, a drone slammed right into a base in Jordan, killing three US troopers and wounding greater than 40 — an assault Washington blamed on Iran-backed forces.
The USA responded Friday with strikes in opposition to dozens of targets at seven Tehran-linked services in Iraq and Syria, however didn’t hit Iranian territory.
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