Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder holds a press conference at the Pentagon on October 19, 2023 in Arlington, Va.
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The Pentagon said it shot down missiles fired from Yemen and potentially headed towards Israel. The report came just a day after U.S. troops were attacked in Iraq and Syria, stoking fears of a regional expansion of the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
The USS Carney, which is currently stationed in the Northern Red Sea, successfully intercepted three cruise missiles and several drones that had been launched by Houthi forces in Yemen, according to Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon’s press secretary. No one was injured in the incident.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Ryder said the Pentagon was still working to determine the weapons’ intended target, but told reporters they were heading north and “potentially towards targets in Israel.” Defense analysts and military officials believe the Houthis have medium-range ballistic missiles capable of reaching Israel, more than 1,300 miles away.
The Carney is equipped with various missile defense systems, though the Pentagon hasn’t said which system was used to destroy the missiles.
The incident could represent the first shots taken by the U.S. military in defense of Israel since the country was attacked by the Palestinian militant group on Oct. 7.
With regional tensions continuing to rise, the U.S. has been on high alert for activity from Iranian proxy groups like the Houthis. Several armed groups aligned with Iran have vowed to target U.S. military bases in the Middle East if it intervened in…
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