US shoots down Houthi drone, ballistic missile in Red Sea

(NEW YORK) — A United States Navy ship in the Red Sea shot down a ballistic missile and a drone on Thursday night, officials confirmed to ABC News.

The USS Mason shot down one drone and an anti-ship ballistic missile fired by the Houthis — an armed group backed by Iran — into the Southern Red Sea, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said.

Eighteen ships, mostly cargo ships, were in the area at the time; however, CENTCOM said there was no damage to any of the vessels and no reported injuries.

Thursday night’s attack was the 22nd attempted attack by the Houthi rebels on international shipping since mid-October.

Due to the escalating crisis in the Red Sea, the U.S. recently announced it had launched an international task force for maritime security.

State Department officials said the Biden administration’s initial goal was to bring together a broad array of international powers to rein in the Houthis, who control a significant amount of territory in Yemen.

Earlier this month, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder addressed the escalation of the attacks.

“We’re continuing to take the situation in the Red Sea extremely seriously, there should be no doubt about that,” Ryder said at the time. “The actions that we’ve seen from these Houthi forces are destabilizing, they’re dangerous, and clearly a flagrant violation of international law. And so this is an international problem that requires an international solution.”

A State Department official previously said that the U.S. has sent multiple messages to the Houthis via various diplomatic channels warning them against continuing their indiscriminate attacks, however, those threats appear to have had little impact, as the Houthis continue to insist they will stop only when Israel’s war in Gaza ends.

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