(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Thomas Hudner shot down a drone headed toward the ship on Wednesday that had been launched from Yemen, according to two U.S. officials.
The U.S. destroyer was operating in the southern Red Sea when the drone was detected as heading toward the ship, according to the officials.
“On November 15th and while transiting the international waters of the Red Sea, the crew of the USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116) engaged a drone that originated from Yemen and was heading in the direction of the ship. The Hudner’s crew engaged and shot down the drone to ensure the safety of U.S. personnel. There were no U.S. casualties or any damage to the ship,” a Pentagon official said in a statement.
If it is confirmed that the drone was launched by the Houthi militants in Yemen it would mark the second escalation towards U.S. military assets in a week.
Last week, the U.S. says the Houthis shot down a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper that had been flying in international airspace off of Yemen.
It would also mark the second time that a U.S. Navy warship has shot down a drone or missile fired by the Houthis.
On Oct. 20, the destroyer USS Carney shot down four cruise missiles and 15 drones that the Pentagon said the Houthis had fired in the direction of Israel Yemen.
Since then there have been several incidents where Israeli forces have shot down at least a Houthi missile or drone fired by towards Israel.
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