CENTCOM claims US warship shot down Yemeni drone over Red Sea
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The command says that the drone was downed near several commercial ships in the Southern Red Sea.
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The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, USS Laboon passing through the Strait of Gibraltar toward the Mediterranean Sea on December 11, 2023 (US Navy)
A US Navy destroyer shot down a drone launched by Yemen's Ansar Allah rebel movement, also known as the Houthis, in the southern Red Sea, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Saturday.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) claimed on Saturday that a drone launched by Yemen's Sanaa forces was downed by a US Navy warship in the Red Sea.
"On the Jan. 6, at approximately 9:30 a.m. (Sanaa time), an unmanned aerial vehicle launched from Iranian-backed Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen was shot down in self-defense by USS LABOON (DDG 59) in international waters of the Southern Red Sea in the vicinity of multiple commercial vessels. There were no casualties or damage reported," CENTCOM said in a statement.
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On the Jan. 6, at approximately 9:30 a.m. (Sanaa time), an unmanned aerial vehicle launched from Iranian-backed Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen was shot down in self-defense by USS LABOON (DDG 59) in international waters of the Southern Red Sea in the vicinity of multiple… pic.twitter.com/fT00nlH0hk
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 6, 2024
The Yemeni Armed Forces have been targeting Israeli and "Israel"-bound ships in the Red and Arabian Seas, in support of Gaza in response to the Israeli genocide in the Strip.
Sanaa repeatedly stressed that only vessels fitting the mentioned criteria will be targeted, and navigation through the strategic trade routes is completely safe for other ships.
Read more: US kills Yemeni navy forces 'carrying out duty' toward Palestine, Gaza
Last month, the United States established a 20-nation maritime coalition under the Operation Prosperity Guardian initiative, with a claimed mission of stopping Yemeni operations.
However, the sea alliance failed to prevent Yemen from actionably enforcing its equation, prompting a significant number of shipping companies to announce rerouting their vessels away from the Red Sea and around Africa. The most recent firm to announce such a decision was Danish Maersk on Friday.
Yemen's latest operation on Thursday targeted CMA CGM TAGE commercial ship that was heading to "Israel".
The attack came after the United States, UK, and France issued a "final warning" on Wednesday to Sanaa to stop its maritime operations in the Red Sea.
In response to the trio's statement, Yemen confirmed that its equation will not change and that their stance on Gaza is principled and not up for negotiations. The Yemeni leadership also cautioned that any attack on the country will be met with a decisive, severe, and large response.
