A US Navy destroyer deployed to the Red Sea amid Israel’s war with Hamas has shot down a barrage of 14 attack drones that were allegedly launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
The unmanned aerial vehicles were assessed to be one-way attack drones and were shot down by the USS Carney, a guided-missile destroyer, on Saturday morning, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement. There was no damage to ships in the area, and there were no reported injuries, according to the statement.
The USS Carney has defended against several such attacks since the Israel-Hamas conflict began on October 7, taking out missiles and drones that the Pentagon traced to the Houthis. CENTCOM has also claimed that the attacks are “fully enabled by Iran.” Several commercial ships have been struck by missiles in the Red Sea this month.
The escalating attacks have prompted some major shipping companies, including Maersk, to steer clear of the area. Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) announced on Saturday that its vessels would quit transiting the Suez Canal after its MSC Palatium III container ship was attacked in the Red Sea on Friday. The MSC Palatium III suffered fire damage and was taken out of service, but no crew members were injured.
The rerouting of ships around the Cape of Good Hope will extend voyage times by several days in some cases and will continue until the Red Sea passage is safe, MSC said. “We ask for your understanding under these serious circumstances.”
