U.S. Downs Cruise Missiles, Drones Across Middle East Amid Tensions

A U.S. destroyer downed three missiles and several drones fired from Yemen that were heading north, amid an uptick in such attacks throughout the Middle East, the Pentagon announced Oct. 19.

The crew of the USS Carney, in the northern Red Sea, identified the land-attack cruise missiles and drones and shot them down over water with the ship’s self-defense systems, Defense Department spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder says. The Pentagon declined to connect the missiles with a specific group. Iranian-backed Houthi rebels recently have fired similar missiles from the region, though not previously heading north. Ryder says the missile track was in the direction of Israel.

The Pentagon has surged ships and aircraft to the region with the “aim to avoid any regional expansion” as Israel has continued its bombardment of the Gaza Strip in retribution for the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas within its borders. To reiterate the position, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Oct. 19 spoke with counterparts in Israel, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Ryder says.

The same day, a U.S. base in Iraq received an early warning of an incoming attack, forcing personnel to take cover. Though no attack materialized, a contractor experienced a cardiac episode and died, Ryder says.

Within the past two days, U.S. forces in Iraq defended against three drones near American and coalition forces in Iraq. In western Iraq, U.S. forces shot down one and damaged another, resulting in minor injuries. Separately, in northern Iraq, U.S. forces destroyed a drone, U.S. Central Command announced.

On Oct. 18, the At Tanf Garrison in Syria was targeted by two suicide drones, with one downed while the other hit the base, resulting in minor injuries, Ryder says.

In Israel, U.S. aircraft have continued to deliver military equipment on a near-daily basis to support Israel. These shipments include Small Diameter Bombs, Joint Direct Attack Munitions, 155mm artillery rounds and Iron Dome air-defense ammunition, Ryder says.

The ongoing Israeli bombardment of Gaza has prompted widespread tensions across the Middle East, and the U.S. State Department on Oct. 19 issued a worldwide caution alert for American citizens abroad.