WASHINGTON — The Pentagon confirmed on Thursday that the Navy destroyer USS Carney shot down three land-attack cruise missiles and several drones fired by the Iran-backed Houthi militant group in Yemen. There were no casualties to US forces or to any civilians, the Pentagon said.
The missiles “were launched from Yemen heading north along the Red Sea, potentially towards targets in Israel,” Pentagon press secretary Pat Ryder told reporters.
The shoot-down marks the first major US military response to what appeared to be a coordinated escalation by suspected Iran-backed militias as Washington seeks to contain the fallout from Israel’s war in Gaza.
Saudi Arabia also shot down one of the drones launched by the Houthis, Israeli media reported.
