US CENTCOM Says it Destroyed Houthi Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle

A member of the Houthi security forces stands guard during a rally held to show support to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen July 26, 2024. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
A member of the Houthi security forces stands guard during a rally held to show support to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen July 26, 2024. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
TT

US CENTCOM Says it Destroyed Houthi Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle

A member of the Houthi security forces stands guard during a rally held to show support to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen July 26, 2024. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
A member of the Houthi security forces stands guard during a rally held to show support to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen July 26, 2024. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Monday its forces successfully destroyed one Iranian-backed Houthi uncrewed aerial vehicle in a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen in the past 24 hours.

"It was determined this weapon presented an imminent threat to US coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region," CENTCOM's statement added.

Since January, US and UK forces have been striking targets in Yemen, in response to the Houthis’ attacks on commercial shipping that the militias have described as retaliation for Israel’s actions in the war in Gaza.

However, many of the ships targeted weren’t linked to Israel.



US Defense Sec Says Hezbollah-Israel Conflict Not Inevitable

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pose for a photo at Camp Aguinaldo, in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, July 30, 2024. REUTERS/Lisa Marie David
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pose for a photo at Camp Aguinaldo, in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, July 30, 2024. REUTERS/Lisa Marie David
TT

US Defense Sec Says Hezbollah-Israel Conflict Not Inevitable

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pose for a photo at Camp Aguinaldo, in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, July 30, 2024. REUTERS/Lisa Marie David
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pose for a photo at Camp Aguinaldo, in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, July 30, 2024. REUTERS/Lisa Marie David

United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin does not believe that a fight between Israel and Hezbollah is inevitable, and said Washington would like to see things resolved in a diplomatic fashion.

Austin made the comments on Tuesday at a joint press conference in Manila, following security talks between himself, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and their respective Philippine counterparts, Gilberto Teodoro and Enrique Manalo.

Israel wants to hurt Hezbollah but not drag the Middle East into all-out war, two Israeli officials said on Monday, as Lebanon braced for retaliation after a rocket strike that killed 12 children and teenagers in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
Two other Israeli officials said Israel was preparing for the possibility of a few days of fighting following Saturday's rocket strike at a sports field in a Druze town that it blamed on the Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah.
Hezbollah has denied any connection with the incident.