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The U.S. Navy used a laser weapon against a floating target off the coast of Yemen, an important step in strengthening security against smaller targets, such as small boats loaded with bombs and speedboats.
The demonstration was carried out by the USS Portland warship that used the laser strike system against a target in the Gulf of Aden, the water body that separates East Africa from the Arabian Peninsula.
The Middle East-based 5th Fleet said the test was successful. Prior to that, Portland even used the laser to shoot down a drone.
The Gulf of Aden is located along the conflict-ridden southern coast of Yemen.
The country has been at civil war since Iranian-backed Houthi rebels invaded its capital, Sanaa, in 2014. But the test also comes at a time of high US and NATO tensions with Russia, amid reports that it is preparing an attack on its neighbor, Ukraine.
Washington has so far made it clear that it will not send troops to Ukraine and that it will bring Russia to its knees with sanctions if it attacks, however Moscow has so far given no signs that it will back down in the face of economic measures.
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