Iran appears to have struck a ship off the Indian coast with an unmanned aerial vehicle, a U.S. official told Fox News on Saturday.
It comes as Houthi militants targeted multiple cargo ships on Saturday, as the group fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles into international shipping lanes located in the Southern Red Sea, according to U.S. Central Command.
No ships were impacted by the ballistic missiles, officials said.
The USS Laboon shot down four unmanned aerial drones on Saturday which originated from areas that the Houthis control in Yemen.
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Cargo ships are seen at Israel’s Haifa commercial shipping port in the Mediterranean Sea on December 13, 2023. In solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, Yemen’s Houthis are warning that they will target cargo vessels sailing through the Red Sea if they are heading for Israeli ports, regardless of their nationality. (Mati Milstein/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
U.S. Naval Forces Central Command also received reports from two ships in the Southern Red Sea on Saturday at 8 p.m. that they were under attack.
Norwegian-flagged M/V Blaamanen, a chemical/oil tanker, reported that there was a near miss by a Houthi one-way attack drone, adding that no one was injured.
WHO ARE THE HOUTHI REBELS ATTACKING COMMERCIAL SHIPS IN THE MIDDLE EAST?
FILE PHOTO: Houthi military helicopter flies over the Galaxy Leader cargo ship in the Red Sea in this photo released November 20, 2023. Houthi Military Media/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY/File Photo (Reuters)
The second ship, Gabon-owned, Indian-flagged M/V Saibaba, which carried crude oil, reported it was hit by a one-way attack drone. No injuries were reported, and the USS Laboon responded to the attacks.
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The SKS Doyles crude oil tanker moves along the Suez Canal towards Ismailia in Suez, Egypt, on Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023. A steep decline in the number of tankers entering a vital Red Sea conduit suggests that attacks on ships in the area are further disrupting a key artery of global trade. (Stringer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The incidents mark the 14th and 15th attacks by Houthi Militants on commercial ships since Oct. 17.