US Military Says Destroyed 'Uncrewed Aerial Systems' in Houthi-Controlled Area of Yemen

Houthi supporters raise their machine guns during a rally against the US-led strikes against Yemen and in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, May 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)
Houthi supporters raise their machine guns during a rally against the US-led strikes against Yemen and in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, May 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)
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US Military Says Destroyed 'Uncrewed Aerial Systems' in Houthi-Controlled Area of Yemen

Houthi supporters raise their machine guns during a rally against the US-led strikes against Yemen and in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, May 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)
Houthi supporters raise their machine guns during a rally against the US-led strikes against Yemen and in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, May 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)

The US military said late Wednesday that it had destroyed four "uncrewed aerial systems" in an area of Yemen controlled by Iran-backed Houthis.
US Central Command said on the social media site X that the systems presented an imminent threat to US and coalition forces and merchant vessels in the region.

The Iran-backed group says the ongoing campaign of attacks is designed to show solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.

Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa, and stoked fears that the Israel-Hamas war could destabilize the wider Middle East.

The United States and Britain have carried out strikes against Houthi targets in response to the attacks on shipping.



Pope Speaks Against Forced Mass Displacement of Gaza Civilians

Pope Leo XIV leads the Angelus prayer in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, July 20, 2025. REUTERS/Yara Nardi
Pope Leo XIV leads the Angelus prayer in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, July 20, 2025. REUTERS/Yara Nardi
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Pope Speaks Against Forced Mass Displacement of Gaza Civilians

Pope Leo XIV leads the Angelus prayer in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, July 20, 2025. REUTERS/Yara Nardi
Pope Leo XIV leads the Angelus prayer in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, July 20, 2025. REUTERS/Yara Nardi

Pope Leo, whose role in advocating for peace in Gaza has become notably stark since Israel struck the territory's only Catholic church last week, told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday that he opposed any forced displacement of Palestinians.

The Vatican said Abbas, who leads the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, had phoned the pope on Monday, three days after Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called and expressed regret over the strike on Gaza's Holy Family church.

Israel has said the strike, which killed three people and wounded the church's parish priest, was a mistake, Reuters reported.

The small church in Gaza has been a focus of papal advocacy for peace throughout the war in the territory. Pope Leo's predecessor Pope Francis spoke to the parish nightly.

In Monday's conversation with Abbas, Leo condemned the "indiscriminate use of force" and any "forced mass displacement" of people in the Gaza Strip, the Vatican said.

Israel has said it wants Gazans to move to a special humanitarian zone in Gaza or leave the territory voluntarily. All mainstream Palestinian groups and neighbouring Arab states have rejected any plan that would displace them.

In emotional remarks on Sunday after his weekly Angelus prayer, Leo read out the names of those killed at the church in Gaza and called for an end to the "barbarity of war".