JERUSALEM— The U.S. Navy continues to face threats in the Red Sea. Between 2 and 2:20 a.m. Wednesday United States Central Command successfully engaged and destroyed four long-range unmanned aerial systems (UAS) launched by Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen, according to a statement from the agency.
These UAS were aimed at a U.S. warship and engaged in self-defense over the Red Sea. There were no injuries or damage reported to U.S. or coalition ships. The U.S. Central Command did not identify which warship was targeted.
It was determined these weapons presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region. These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S. Navy and merchant vessels.
Meanwhile, Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham wants the Biden administration and Congress to allow Israel to militarily defeat all remaining Hamas fighters in the southern Gaza city of Rafah — which is overflowing with more than a million displaced civilians. Israel says there are thousands of Hamas militants in that area.
Defeating Hamas in Rafah is “non-negotiable,” Graham told reporters in Jerusalem on Wednesday. “I urge the Biden administration, the Congress to make sure that Israel has the time and space to achieve victory over Hamas militarily.”
The U.S. Department of Defense wants Israel to protect civilians and secure the delivery of aid into Gaza during any military operation into Rafah, where over half of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have fled to escape fighting in other areas and are packed into rudimentary tent camps and U.N.-run shelters.
Israel was meant to send a delegation to Washington to discuss plans for defeating Hamas in Rafah. However, Israel cancelled the visit after the U.S. allowed the U.N. Security Council to pass a resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas, without linking the two.
The cancelled meeting was the strongest public clash between Israel and the U.S. since the war began.
Graham said he understood Israel’s opposition to the U.N. resolution, saying the wording created doubt. But he hoped for a "breakthrough” that would bring Israel and the U.S. “back together talking about the way forward.”