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A U.S. warship on the Red Sea in 2016 (symbolic image)
Photo: AP/ U.S. Navy
A U.S. Navy warship operating in the Middle East has intercepted several projectiles near the Yemeni coast. This was announced by US officials. The USS Carney, a destroyer of the U.S. Navy, was in the Red Sea. It was not immediately clear whether the rockets were aimed at Israel. Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder told reporters at the Pentagon, according to CBS, that the drones and missiles had moved north along the Red Sea, "possibly toward targets in Israel." One of the officials said the U.S. did not believe the missiles were aimed at the ship.
"We are in a position to defend our broader interests in the region and prevent a regional escalation and expansion of the conflict that began with Hamas' attack on Israeli civilians on October 7," Ryder said.
Last week, Abdel-Malek al-Houthi, the leader of the rebel group, warned the United States against interfering in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. He threatened that his forces would retaliate by shooting down drones and missiles.
The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have expressed their support for the Palestinians and threatened Israel. Last week, protesters marched through the streets of the Yemeni city of Sanaa, which is held by the Houthi rebels, waving Yemeni and Palestinian flags. The slogan of the rebels has long been: "God is the greatest; Death to America; Death to Israel; Curse of the Jews; Victory for Islam".
kim/AP