Houthi drones continue flying towards U.S. warships in the Red Sea, and the last drone attack on an American destroyer happened today, Wednesday.
A US military official said USS Mason, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, shot down an unmanned aerial vehicle from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen on Wednesday, and it was flying in the direction of the ship.
The U.S. official indicated that the drone came close enough to the warship that the commander of the ship felt it was a threat and needed to be shot down.
On November 27, two ballistic missiles were fired from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen toward the USS Mason in the Gulf of Aden. The attack after it responded to a distress call from another commercial tanker that had come under attack by five armed individuals of Somali nationality.
On November 15, the USS Thomas Hudner also intercepted a drone believed to have been heading toward the ship. The purposeful Houthi attacks on U.S. warships have raised the possibility of a direct military conflict between the Houthi group and the U.S. forces.
Two sources familiar with Saudi thinking told Reuters today that Saudi Arabia has asked the United States to show restraint in responding to attacks by the Houthis against ships in the Red Sea as Riyadh seeks to contain spillover from the Gaza-Israel war.
Since late October, numerous Houthi missiles have been fired at commercial ships in the Red Sea, and the group has lately begun targeting U.S. warships ships in the Red Sea. Observers say the Houthi direct attacks on American forces in the Red Sea may spark a Houthi-American military conflict, and the rising Houthi attacks on international shipping lanes can pave the way for a joint anti-Houthi military response.