Priya Aditi
The Pentagon reported that on Thursday, a US Navy ships shoots drones and missiles launched by Houthi militants in Yemen, potentially towards Israel.
A destroyer intercepted three “land-attack cruise missiles and multiple drones,” according to a statement to reporters from the destroyer. The assault was executed from Yemen with “possibly intended targets in Israel in mind.”
As directed by President Joe Biden, the USS Carney was conducting patrols in the Red Sea as part of a significantly reinforced US military presence in the region to preserve stability in the aftermath of the conflict between Israel and the Hamas militant organization in the Gaza Strip.
According to the spokesman, missiles were launched from Yemen, where a government supported by a Saudi-led coalition is engaged in conflict with the Houthi rebels, who are backed by Iran.
As per the statement from the spokesman, no American lives were lost, and “the precise target of these missiles is unknown; however, they originated from Yemen and were traveling north along the Red Sea.”
“Our defensive response was one we would have taken for any similar threat in the region,” according to him.
“We have the capability to defend our broader interests in the region and to deter regional escalation and broader expansion of the conflict that began with Hamas’ attack on Israeli civilians.”
Biden has directed the deployment of additional air and naval resources to the Middle East, including two aircraft carriers, in an effort to prevent the Israel-Hamas conflict from spreading over into the volatile region.
Additionally, the Pentagon placed 2,000 personnel on standby for possible deployment on Tuesday.
The deployment would enable the United States to “respond more quickly” to the crisis, according to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. The White House, meanwhile, emphasized that it had no intention of placing US combat forces on the ground.
According to US media, the soldiers preparing for deployment would perform support duties including medical assistance and explosives handling.
Biden, in a dramatic display of US support this week, flew to Israel. Later on Thursday, he was scheduled to deliver a speech from the White House, urging Congress to finance military assistance for Israel and another troubled US ally, Ukraine.
When queried by journalists late Wednesday regarding reports that his administration had assured Israel that American forces would respond to any Israeli assault initiated by the influential Lebanese organization Hezbollah, Israel, Vice President Joe Biden stated unequivocally that such an assertion was “not true.”
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Nevertheless, he stated that “our military is discussing potential alternatives with their military” in the case of a Hezbollah assault.
