The US Navy's USS Mason shot down a drone and an anti-ship ballistic missile fired by the Iran-backed Houthi militia in the southern Red Sea on Thursday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced early Friday morning.
According to CENTCOM, this was the 22nd attempted attack conducted by the Houthis against international shipping since October 19. No damage was caused to the 18 ships present in the area at the time.
The USS MASON (DDG 87) shot down one drone and one anti-ship ballistic missile in the Southern Red Sea that were fired by the Houthis between 5:45 - 6: 10 p.m. (Sanaa time) on Dec. 28. There was no damage to any of the 18 ships in the area or reported injuries. This is the 22nd… pic.twitter.com/Y4JRS22850
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) December 29, 2023
The incident comes as the Houthis continue their attacks on international shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea despite the establishment of a US-led coalition aimed at deterring such attacks.
On Tuesday, the US military downed 12 kamikaze drones, three anti-ship ballistic missiles, and two land attack cruise missiles fired by the Houthis in the southern Red Sea within a period of just 10 hours.
Additionally on Tuesday, the IDF said that it had intercepted a drone over the Red Sea that was headed toward Israel.
US sanctions network transferring Iranian funds to Houthis
As part of efforts to combat the Houthi threat, the US issued sanctions against one individual and three entities for facilitating Iranian funding for the Houthis on Thursday. The sanctioned individual is Nabil Ali Ahmed Al-Hadha - the head of the Currency Exchangers Association in Sanaa, Yemen - and the three entities are exchange houses in Yemen and Turkey.
The sanctioned individual and entities facilitated the transfer of millions of dollars to the Houthis at the direction of Sa'id al-Jamal, a person affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC) Quds Force.
Jamal's network uses a web of exchange houses throughout the Middle East to facilitate the transfer of funds to the Houthis, including the Turkey-based Al Aman Kargo Ithalat Ihracat Ve Nakliyat Limited Sirketi, the Yemen-based Nabco Money Exchange and Remittance Co., and the Yemen-based Al Rawda Exchange and Money Transfers Company.
“Today’s action underscores our resolve to restrict the illicit flow of funds to the Houthis, who continue to conduct dangerous attacks on international shipping and risk further destabilizing the region,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson. “The United States, along with our allies and partners, will continue to target the key facilitation networks that enable the destabilizing activities of the Houthis and their backers in Iran.”