CENTCOM Forces Destroy 3 Houthi Drones in Yemen

The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Thursday, September 1, that American forces "successfully destroyed two Iranian-backed Houthi drones over the Red Sea and one drone in Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen." CENTCOM noted on social media platform "X" that the destruction of these three drones "occurred within the last 24 hours" after it was determined that they posed "a clear and immediate threat to U.S. vessels, coalition forces, and commercial shipping in the region." The U.S. Central Command emphasized that "these actions were taken to protect freedom of navigation and to make international waters safer." The Houthis began their near-daily attacks on vessels in the region in November of last year, following Israeli military operations in Gaza in response to an attack by Hamas militants on southern Israel on October 7 (October 15 in the Iranian calendar) of the previous year. The Houthi attacks prompted responses from the United States and Britain, which conducted several airstrikes on Houthi military targets in Yemen to dismantle the group's military infrastructure. Following the Houthi attacks, which resulted in the deaths of several sailors and disrupted global trade, the United States re-designated the group as a global terrorist organization last winter. The Pentagon stated that the Houthi rebels have created a "catastrophic" environmental threat in Yemen's "backyard." A French destroyer rescued 29 sailors from an oil tanker that had been attacked multiple times in the Red Sea.