Navy shoots down 10-hour barrage of ballistic missiles, drones fired by Iran-backed Houthis

The U.S. Navy shot down a barrage of anti-ship ballistic missiles and drones launched in the Red Sea over a 10-hour period by the Houthis in Yemen, U.S. Central Command said.

A dozen one-way attack drones, three anti-ship ballistic missiles and two land attack cruise missiles were shot down Tuesday by the USS Laboon destroyer and F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets from the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, which has been stationed in the Middle East since October after Hamas attacked Israel, officials said. 

The 10-hour barrage began around 6:30 a.m. local time, per CENTCOM. No injuries were reported and no damage to ships occurred. 

The ballistic missiles were provided to the Houthis by Iran, according to Fox News.

The Biden administration delisted the Houthis from the State Department's list of Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations in February 2021. 

The Houthis have increased their attacks in the region since Oct. 7, when Hamas invaded Israel and killed about 1,200 people and took approximately 240 others hostage. The militant group declared support for Hamas and said it would target the ships of Israel and its allies, but it has launched attacks on Norwegian and Liberian vessels as well. 

The U.S. began efforts last week to build an international coalition to respond to the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. 

Madeleine Hubbard on X or Instagram.