New pictures have revealed the moment a US destroyer shot down Iranian missiles fired by Tehran-backed rebels hellbent on starting World War 3.
In an image from October 19 and shared by the US military, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) is seen destroying Houthi missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles in the Red Sea.
The missiles and drones had been fired by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, with insiders at the Pentagon believing Israel was the intended target.
Brigadier General Pat Ryder, the Pentagon spokesman, said three “land-attack cruise missiles and several drones” had been intercepted by the US Destroyer.
According to Ryder, the missiles and drones were “launched by Huthi forces in Yemen”, as the dispute between Israel and Palestine continues to rage since deadly tensions escalated earlier this month.
Thousands of civilians have succumbed to the violence between the two nations after Palestinian Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip entered southern Israel in an unprecedented attack.
In a briefing on Tuesday, Ryder added: “We continue to stay in close contact with our Israeli partners on their defense needs and remain committed to the security of Israel. We also continue to underscore the importance of safeguarding innocent civilians in this conflict, both Palestinian and Israeli and insuring the delivery of humanitarian aid to those in need.
“Since that Hamas terrorist attack we’ve also been crystal clear that we do not want to see the situation in Israel widen into a broader regional conflict. And as you’ve heard President Biden, Secretary Austin and other senior US leaders say, our message to any country or group thinking about trying to take advantage of this situation to widen the conflict is don’t.”
He concluded: “We’ve already deployed a significant number of additional US military capabilities into the region to bolster our regional deterrence efforts, strengthen our capabilities there and enhance our ability to respond to a range of contingencies.
“In addition to the capabilities that we’ve already announced, I can also confirm that the New Jersey Air National Guard’s 119th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron arrived within US Central Command’s area of responsibility today with additional F-16 fighting Falcon Squadron bolstering US posture to deter further aggression in the region.”
It comes as the United Nations Security Council held its first open debate on the Israel-Gaza war, with the majority of attendees pleading for an immediate ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid to reach Palestinians.
The council – which has five members including the US and Russia who can veto a decision – has so far failed to agree to a solution that would end the violence.
Washington – Israel’s biggest backer – used a veto last week when a resolution was pushed forward by 12 other members of the council that would have seen a pause in the fighting. A Russia-drafted resolution was also rejected.
According to Al Jazeera, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry: “We followed with regret the inability of this council twice to adopt a resolution or even to call for a ceasefire to end this war.”
Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, speaking on behalf of the 22-member Arab Group at the UN, also demanded diplomats find a way to resolve the war, adding: “The Security Council must take a clear stance to reassure two billion Arabs and Muslims that international law will be applied.”
The US has said it favors a humanitarian pause in the war – which is seen as shorter than a ceasefire and less formal.
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