A little-noticed report from the US Department of Defence makes it alarmingly clear just how close to the powder keg the entire Middle East currently is: on 19 October 2023, the Pentagon reported the launch of three cruise missiles and eight drones launched from the north-west of Yemen and flying towards Israel by the Arleigh Burke destroyer USS "Carney" (DDG-64). The "Carney" had used its Standard Missile 2 (SM2) in defence against the cruise missiles and drones. There were no casualties or injuries, neither on US units nor on the ground ashore.
Security architecture
According to the Pentagon, it is an example of the integrated airspace and missile defence architecture established in the Middle East, which can be deployed at any time to protect partners and national interests in this important region. Although the Houthi missiles had travelled in a northerly vector, they had not identified a clear target. However, the missile's target corridor, which was around 1,000 kilometres away from Yemen, would have included southern Israel and the city of Eilat.
Rebel arsenal
Houthi militias parade Quds-2 cruise missiles in Yemen, 2019. Photo: Screenshot, source unnamed
More detailed information on the types of weapons used on both sides is not available. However, the Houthis have Iranian missiles of the Quds series, whose maximum range reaches Israeli territory. The Houthis have repeatedly spoken out in favour of supporting the Palestinian Hamas and have shown a clear interest in fighting Israel.
Carrier Strike Group
USS "Carney" is part of the Carrier Strike Group of the aircraft carrier USS "Gerald R. Ford" deployed to the eastern Mediterranean. The "Carney" had only moved southwards through the Suez Canal into the Red Sea the day before.
Not the first time
Attacks by Houthi militias on US Navy ships are a constant threat south of Suez: in 2016, the USS "Mason" (DDG-87) was able to carry out a first FK attack with two FKs on its convoy in the southern Red Sea by SM2 and ESSM (Evolved Seasparrow Missile) intercept air defence systems. Since then, various attacks from the Yemeni coastal region have followed, about which there is hardly anything to be found in the media.
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