A Navy warship took out four long-range air drones that were headed toward the vessel early Wednesday in the Red Sea, according to U.S. Central Command.

The command did not identify the ship involved, and multiple Navy destroyers have spent recent months there intercepting drones and missiles on a near-daily basis that were fired by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

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Wednesday’s incident took place over 20 minutes starting at 2 a.m. local time, according to CENTCOM.

The warship took the drones out in self-defense, and no injuries or damage were reported to U.S. and coalition ships there.

“It was determined these weapons presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region,” CENTCOM said in a statement. “These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S. Navy and merchant vessels.”

The attack came after a three-day lull in Houthi attacks reported by CENTCOM, a respite from the near-daily firing of weapons by Houthis, and Navy strikes against Houthis weapons on the ground in Yemen.

Geoff is the editor of Navy Times, but he still loves writing stories. He covered Iraq and Afghanistan extensively and was a reporter at the Chicago Tribune. He welcomes any and all kinds of tips at geoffz@militarytimes.com.

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