In a decisive move, the U.S. Navy deployed anti-ship ballistic missiles to intercept Iran-supported Houthi missiles in the Red Sea, marking a pronounced shift in regional dynamics, as per a top defense source speaking to Fox News.
This operation witnessed the Navy neutralizing three ballistic missiles, supplied to the Houthi rebels by Iran. Notably, this event marks the maiden interception of an incoming ballistic missile by the Navy using an anti-ship ballistic missile system.
Assets from the Navy, notably the USS Laboon, alongside F/A-18 Super Hornets from the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, thwarted a series of attacks. Within a 12-hour timeframe, they successfully intercepted 12 one-way assault drones, three anti-ship ballistic missiles, and two land attack missiles, as confirmed by U.S. Central Command.
Since October 17, close to 100 Houthi-operated drones have met their end. Alarmingly, the Houthi insurgence has targeted over 21 international vessels, severely disrupting global maritime traffic. In light of these developments, the Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC) reported an assault on its vessel, MSC United VIII, while navigating from King Abdullah Port, Saudi Arabia, to Karachi, Pakistan. Fortunately, the crew remains unharmed, with MSC prioritizing their safety, redirecting vessels away from the Suez route.
The intensified hostilities in the Red Sea have been attributed to Israel’s recent military actions against Hamas in Gaza. Consequently, prominent shipping firms, including the Denmark-based Maersk, have rerouted their vessels, circumventing the Red Sea via Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, incurring additional expenses and delays.
This recent engagement followed an unfortunate incident on Christmas Day in Iraq, where three U.S. service members suffered injuries in an attack on Erbil Air Base by Kataib Hezbollah, a recognized Iranian proxy. Responding to this provocation, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin confirmed U.S. airstrikes on three Kataib Hezbollah and related group facilities within Iraq.
