US assets in the Middle East have come under increasing threat since the war in Gaza broke out.
A US warship cruising the Red Sea has shot down drones fired from Houthi-held territory in Yemen, according to the US Central Command.
The USS Thomas Hudner, a guided-missile destroyer, shot down âmultiple one-way attack dronesâ launched on Thursday morning from Yemenâs Houthi-controlled areas, CENTCOM said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
CENTCOM said there was no damage to the US vessel or injuries to its crew.
âUntil Israeli aggression stopsâ
Yemenâs Houthi rebels have declared themselves part of the âaxis of resistanceâ of Iranâs allies and launched a series of drones and missiles towards Israel since the start of the war in Gaza.
On Wednesday, Israel said it had intercepted a âcruise missileâ heading for the south of the country, a shot claimed by the Houthi rebels.
The spokesperson for the Houthisâ armed wing, Yahya Saree, said such operations would continue âuntil the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank stopsâ.
The Houthis have also threatened to target Israeli shipping over the countryâs war with the Palestinian group Hamas that rules Gaza.
On Sunday, the Houthis seized an Israel-linked cargo vessel with an international crew of 25 at the entrance to the Red Sea
Israelâs military on Sunday said the seizure was a âvery grave incident of global consequenceâ, and a US military official said it was âa flagrant violation of international lawâ.
Targeting US positions
US assets in the Middle East have also come under fire since the Gaza war erupted on October 7.
US forces deployed in Iraq and Syria have been attacked at least 66 times during this time, causing injuries to more than 60 personnel, the Pentagon has said.
On Wednesday, the US announced its first significant retaliatory strikes on Iran-backed armed groups targeting it in Iraq, striking several positions of the Kataib Hezbollah militia, also known as Hezbollah Brigades, south of Bagdad, killing at least eight fighters.
Iraqâs government condemned the assault as an âunacceptable violation of Iraqi sovereigntyâ, saying the US had not coordinated with it in advance.