A US Navy ship in the Red Sea shot down missiles and drones that had been fired by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, possibly at Israel, the Pentagon said.
The United States is seeing stepped-up drone attacks in Iraq and Syria, the Pentagon said on Thursday, while an American destroyer in the Red Sea intercepted cruise missiles and drones fired toward Israel by Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The uptick in activity, which targeted US bases in Syria and Iraq, has resulted in minor injuries but prompted fresh concerns that Israel’s war with Hamas may spark a bigger conflict and pull in the US.
The Pentagon is also sending more forces to the region, including fighter jets.
“You have to look at these individually – we’re taking them seriously and responding appropriately,” Brigadier General Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters Thursday. “Our focus is on deterring a broader regional conflict, and right now this conflict is contained between Israel and Hamas.
