The Houthis have deployed underwater drones in the Red Sea, Defense Department says

• Houthi fighters have deployed underwater drones in the Red Sea, the Defense Department said.
• Underwater drones are an "extremely lethal" threat to the US Navy, an admiral told the AP.
• The US launched five "self-defense" strikes on Houthi positions on Saturday, the DoD said.

The US Defense Department said American forces in the Red Sea for the first time spotted and struck an underwater drone deployed by Houthi fighters on Saturday.

CENTCOM, the central command for the US Department of Defense, said the United States launched "self-defense" strikes on Saturday against "three mobile anti-ship cruise missiles, one unmanned underwater vessel (UUV), and one unmanned surface vessel (USV)" in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and the Red Sea.

CENTCOM said the drones presented an "imminent threat" to US Navy ships in the area and that it was the first time US forces have seen an unmanned underwater drone deployed by the Houthis.

The Houthis, a political and military group with a long history that controls vast portions of Yemen, including its capital, Sanaa, began attacking ships in the Red Sea in October in solidarity with Palestinians. The group has said repeatedly that the attacks will continue until Israel agrees to a cease-fire in Gaza.

The Houthis, supported in part by Iran, are well-armed and highly organized. The group has successfully beaten back efforts by US-backed Saudi Arabia over the last decade to impose its will on Yemen.

The Houthis first began attacking ships in the Red Sea using anti-ship missiles fired from land. But as Israel's scorched-earth campaign in Gaza has dragged on, and the United States has deployed its Navy to the Red Sea, the group has expanded its arsenal.

They began launching unmanned surface sea drones on January 4, according to The Associated Press, which has reporters on board the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Red Sea. Now, the Houthis appear to have underwater drones, too.

Rear Adm. Marc Miguez told the AP that sea drones that operate on the surface are a serious threat to the US Navy. "To have a bomb-laden, unmanned surface vessel that can go in pretty fast speeds and, if you're not immediately on scene, it can get ugly extremely quick," he said.

As for the underwater drones, that's "more of an unknown threat that we don't have a lot of intel on, that could be extremely lethal," he said.