US Central Command said it shot down a drone over the Red Sea after it was launched from Houthi-controlled area in Yemen early Monday morning.
The drone was shot out of the sky around 4 a.m. after military personnel determined that it it was hostile, according to a press release.
“It was determined the [uncrewed aerial system] presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels in the region,” US Central Command said in a statement.
“These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for US, coalition, and merchant vessels.”
On Monday, the Houthis claimed to have attacked two destroyers in the Red Sea as well as three ships in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean, according to Reuters.
The US strike comes after Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed to have downed a US MQ-9 Reaper over the province of Marib and a second US MQ-9 Reaper drone days later.
Tensions between the West and the Houthi rebels, an Iranian-backed Shia Islamist political group that has sought political control over Yemen, have simmered shortly after the dawn of the Israel-Hamas war late last year.
Since the war, the US has been forced to shoot down a slew of missiles and drones from the Houthis, widely regarded as one of Iran’s top proxy forces in the region.
The Houthis have claimed that their attacks on Western assets are a sign of solidarity with the Palestinians.
Back in January, President Biden relisted the Houthis as a terrorist organization after delisting the group in 2021 – a reversal of a Trump administration policy.
The US also conducted a wave of strikes on Houthi-backed targets earlier in the year after the Houthis wreaked havoc with critical shipping lanes.
