Iran appears to have struck ship off Indian coast with unmanned aerial vehicle, US official says
The strike comes as Houthi militants targeted multiple cargo ships on Saturday, as the group fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles into international shipping lanes located in the Southern Red Sea, according to U.S. Central Command.
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Yemeni coastguard members loyal to the internationally-recognised government ride in a patrol boat in the Red Sea off of the government-held town of Mokha in the western Taiz province, close to the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, on December 12, 2023.(Photo by KHALED ZIAD/AFP via Getty Images)
The USS Laboon shot down four unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the Red Sea on Saturday, as tensions in the Middle East continue to escalate amid the Israel-Hamas war.
A senior U.S. defense official confirmed the news to Fox News Digital. The weapons were fired by Houthis and targeted towards international ships.
Houthis began by firing two UAVs at international vessels, despite the ships not having any connection to Israel. One vessel was damaged, while the other was not.
A Gabon-flagged ship was also struck by a Houthi drone.
Houthis also shot two anti-ship ballistic missiles, but neither hit.Iranian-linked fighters also reportedly shot at least one unmanned aerial vehicle towards a vessel off the coast of India in the Indian Ocean.
Fox News Digital's Andrea Vacchiano and Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.
Cargo ships are seen at Israel's Haifa commercial shipping port in the Mediterranean Sea on December 13, 2023. In solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, Yemen's Houthis are warning that they will target cargo vessels sailing through the Red Sea if they are heading for Israeli ports, regardless of their nationality. (Mati Milstein/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Iran appears to have struck a ship off the Indian coast with an unmanned aerial vehicle, a U.S. official told Fox News on Saturday.
It comes as Houthi militants targeted multiple cargo ships on Saturday, as the group fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles into international shipping lanes located in the Southern Red Sea, according to U.S. Central Command.
No ships were impacted by the ballistic missiles, officials said.
The USS Laboon shot down four unmanned aerial drones on Saturday which originated from areas that the Houthis control in Yemen.
Read the full article about Iran by Jennifer Griffin and Adam Sabes
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