The USS Carney in the Mediterranean Sea on Oct. 23, 2018. The USS Carney, a Navy destroyer, took out missiles that had been fired from Yemen and were heading north on Oct. 19, 2023, U.S. officials said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations not yet announced. Mass Communication Spc. 1st Class Ryan U. Kledzik / U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa via AP
A Bath-built destroyer last week shot down a barrage of missiles and drones in the Red Sea that American officials say may have targeted Israel.
The USS Carney, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer commissioned in 1996, in a nine-hour span on Oct. 19 downed four cruise missiles and 15 drones launched by Houthi forces in Yemen, according to CNN.
“We cannot say for certain what these missiles and drones were targeting but they were launched from Yemen, heading north along the Red Sea, potentially toward targets in Israel,” Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon’s press secretary, said in a news briefing. “This action was a demonstration in the integrated air and missile defense architecture that we have built in the Middle East and that we are prepared to utilize whenever necessary to protect our partners and our interests in this important region.”
It would be the first military action by the U.S. in defense of Israel since Hamas attacked the country earlier this month.
The USS Carney was on a solo patrol at the time and crews fired Raytheon-built SM-2 missiles to down the projectiles, according to USNI News.
“Bravo Zulu to the brave men and women aboard,” Sen. Susan Collins said in a statement posted to X, referring to the Navy signal for “well done.” “Keep up the good work and continue proving Bath built is best built.”
Houthis are a Shiite Muslim group battling Yemen’s Sunni Muslim majority. The group has been linked to Iran and its allies, including Hamas, and has previously threatened to attack Israel, which is more than 1,300 miles away.
Collins was in Israel Sunday to meet with families and advocate for U.S. aid to the country.
“This is not a close call,” Collins said. “Hamas is a terrorist group, and we must do all that we can to support Israel in its quest to eliminate Hamas.”
Collins serves as vice chairperson of the Senate Appropriations Committee and said she will work in that capacity to support President Joe Biden’s request for $14 billion to help Israel.
“It is not only in Israel’s interest,” she said. “It’s not only in the interest of the countries in this region. It’s in America’s interest. It’s in the interest of our world.”
The Houthi attack came amid protests at U.S. embassies across the Middle East and attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria.
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