Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder said in a press release yesterday that US military assets in the Red Sea, Iraq and Syria have responded to missile and drone attacks over the past two days and sought to deter groups using the Red Sea as an opportunity to initiate conflict.
"This action was a demonstration of the integrated air and missile defence architecture we are building in the Middle East, which we are prepared to use when necessary to protect our partners and our interests," Ryder said, adding that the USS Carney destroyer operating in the northern Red Sea shot down three ground attack cruise missiles and several drones launched by Houthi forces in Yemen.
THEY WERE LAUNCHED TOWARDS ISRAEL
"We cannot say for certain what these missiles and drones were aimed at, but they were launched northwards across the Red Sea, potentially towards targets in Israel," Press Secretary Ryder said.
THE US INCREASES MILITARY PRESENCE IN THE EAST MEDITERRANEAN
Ryder emphasised that the US will continue to increase its military presence in the Eastern Mediterranean and underlined that the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford is in the Eastern Mediterranean, while the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier has crossed the Atlantic to the Eastern Mediterranean. It was also stated that the US Air Force has increased its fighter aircraft presence in the region.
