US Military Says Five Houthi Drones Destroyed, Posed ‘Imminent Threat’

The U.S. and its Red Sea allies took down five Houthi drones that posed an “imminent threat” over the weekend, according to statements released by U.S. Central Command.

On Sunday, a U.S. coalition warplane destroyed one uncrewed aerial system (UAS) launched by the Iranian-backed Houthi movement over the Gulf of Aden from Houthi controlled areas in Yemen.

U.S. Central Command said the coalition destroyed three drones over the Red Sea on Saturday. A Houthi drone —released from Yemen over the Gulf of Aden — was also taken down on Friday by a coalition aircraft.

“It was determined that these UAS presented an imminent threat to both coalition forces and merchant vessels in the region,” the Central Command statement read. “These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S., coalition, and merchant vessels.”

U.S. Central Command said there were no injuries or damages reported by U.S., coalition or merchant vessels amid the weekend drone attacks.

Newsweek reached out to U.S. Central Command via email Sunday night for additional comments.

Last month, a senior official of the powerful Yemeni movement, also known as Ansar Allah, revealed to Newsweek that the group is committed to coming to the aid of its Iran-aligned alliance in the event that the ongoing conflicts surrounding Israel’s war in Gaza spiral into a major regional war.

“As for our defense of ourselves, our region, and those with whom we have alliances, such as the Axis of Resistance,” Nasreddin Amer, deputy information secretary for Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis, told Newsweek, “we will certainly never stand idly by in the face of any foreign, Western aggression against any country in our Islamic world.”

The comments come as Ansar Allah presses on with its campaign of maritime attacks against mostly commercial ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, as well as long-range missile and drone strikes against Israel itself.

On Thursday, Ansar Allah claimed to have targeted two “Israeli” ships, the MSC Diego and MSC Gina, in the Gulf of Aden as well as well two more attacks against the MSC Vittoria in the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea.

Already facing repeated rounds of airstrikes by the United States and the United Kingdom, the Houthi group has asserted that its campaign would not end until Israel ceased its offensive against Gaza, where war has raged since the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an attack against Israel on October 7, 2023.