US military forces shot down an unmanned aerial vehicle launched from Iranian-backed Houthi rebels-controlled areas of Yemen early Saturday , the Pentagon said.
The incident came just days after a 12-nation group led by the US warned Houthi rebels in Yemen against continuing their attacks on Red Sea shipping.
The US Central Command said in a social media post Saturday that “an unmanned aerial vehicle launched from Iranian-backed Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen was shot down by the USS Laboon, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer over the Red Sea in international waters near several commercial vessels
The Laboon, part of a carrier strike group deployed to the region last month, previously downed drones believed fired by the Houthi rebels.
On Wednesday, the US-led group jointly warned the Houthi rebels of unspecified consequences unless they immediately halt their sea attacks.
But Danish shipping giant Maersk, citing the highly volatile situation, said Friday that it would divert all vessels around Africa instead of using the Red Sea and Suez Canal for the “foreseeable future.”