In the latest development in the Red Sea saga, the U.S.S. Laboon, a Navy destroyer, fended off an attack from Houthi rebels operating in Yemen. This news comes as the Iranian-backed Houthi faction has intensified attacks against tankers and other ships operating in the area.

The incident happened while the U.S.S. Laboon was conducting patrols in the southern Red Sea as part of a multinational security initiative formed in response to Houthi aggression against ships traveling through the trade routes.

The Navy destroyer Laboon shot down four unmanned aerial vehicles Saturday in the Red Sea that U.S. officials say originated from Iran-allied Houthi rebels in Yemen, according to U.S. Central Command.

The incident is the most recent instance where U.S. warships in the Middle East have intercepted air drones and missiles, and comes exactly a week after Navy destroyer Carney took down 14 attack drones in the Red Sea.

U.S. Central Command said that the Laboon shot down the drones, which “were inbound” to the destroyer, as it conducted a patrol in the Southern Red Sea as part of a multinational security initiative to safeguard commercial ships. No injuries or damage occurred due to the incident.

The incident is the latest in a broader trend of heightened maritime security to address increased drone and missile strikes on commercial shipping by Houthi militants. During the same incident, the rebels struck another tanker with a drone.

But another Houthi drone did reach its target. U.S. officials said the M/V SAIBABA, a Gabon-owned, Indian-flagged crude oil tanker, was struck by the Houthi unmanned craft. No one was injured.

“These attacks represent the 14th and 15th attacks on commercial shipping by Houthi militants since Oct. 17,” CENTCOM said in a statement.

This development comes after the Defense Department announced the multinational maritime task force charged with protecting ships traveling through the trade routes.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced Tuesday that the United States and several other nations are creating a maritime task force to protect ships transiting the Red Sea. Since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, ships allegedly owned by Israeli interests or bound for Israeli ports have come under missile and drone attacks from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. The Houthis have attacked at least ten commercial ships, and two ships have been hijacked, one to Yemen and one to Somalia.

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To address this unprecedented series of attacks, the Secretary urged participants to join U.S.-led and other international initiatives and work with U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (USNAVCENT) and the 39-member Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) to restore security in the Red Sea to deter future Houthi aggression. Secretary Austin pointed to CMF's Task Force 153—charged with international maritime security and capacity-building in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb, and the Gulf of Aden—as an existing multi-lateral platform that could be leveraged to deter attacks under the CMF. He reiterated that the international community is faced with an unprecedented global challenge that demands collective action. The United States will continue to consult and work alongside allies and partners, who share the fundamental principle of freedom of navigation.

The attacks on the Laboon and other commercial vessels underscore an increasingly volatile situation in the region. Several companies, including British Petroleum, have halted shipments through the Red Sea due to the constant assaults as the Houthis continue to flex their muscles.

The U.S. and its allies are actively collaborating to counter the Houthi threat and restore a semblance of normalcy in the region. But with the current war in the Gaza Strip, which partly motivated the Houthis to begin their attacks, it doesn't seem as if the militant group will slow down anytime soon.

The Biden administration has taken some heat for failing to adequately address the matter with Iran, which backs the Houthis. The situation remains tense as the task force attempts to stymie attacks coming from the rebels.