New Delhi
The US troops shot down a number of drones near Yemen, the US military said on Saturday (Feb 3), while announcing a number of incidents that occurred a day before. The US military said that a total of eight drones were shot down near Yemen and four more were destroyed on ground.
The US attack in Yemen came in the wake of attacks that the US military launched upon direct orders of the US President Joe Biden on Iran-linked targets in Iraq and Syria. The air strikes were in retaliation of the attack on a US base in Jordan that killed three troops last weekend.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on social media that a US Navy destroyer shot down one more drone on Feb 1 while a number of F/A-18 warplanes and another ship downed seven other drones later in the day.
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CENTCOM said the four drones destroyed on the ground belonged to Yemen-based and Iran-backed Houthi rebels, but did not identify a country or group linked to those that were shot out of the air.
"These actions will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for US Navy vessels and merchant vessels," CENTCOM said.
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Yemen's Houthi rebels began targeting Red Sea shipping route in November in purported solidarity with Palestinians. Houthis initially claimed that they were hitting Israel-linked vessels in support of Palestinians in Gaza, which has been ravaged by the Israel-Hamas war.
The US and UK forces have responded with strikes against the Houthis, who have since declared American and British interests to be legitimate targets as well.
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The United States also set up a multinational naval task force aimed at protecting shipping on the transit route, which carries up to 12 per cent of global trade.
On January 28, a drone slammed into a base in Jordan, killing three US soldiers and wounding more than 40. The Washington blamed the attack on Iran-backed forces.
Four days later, on Friday Feb 2, the United States responded with strikes against dozens of targets at seven Tehran-linked facilities in Iraq and Syria, but did not hit Iranian territory.
(With inputs from agencies)