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US And Britain Say Their Navies Shot Down 15 Attack Drones Over The Red Sea
LONDON, England – According to the British and American forces, a U.S. warship shot down 14 suspected attack drones over the Red Sea on Saturday, while a Royal Navy destroyer took down another drone that was targeting commercial ships.
As the Israel-Hamas conflict escalates, Houthi rebels in Yemen have started a series of attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, one of the world’s busiest trade lanes, as well as drones and missiles aimed at Israel.
The destroyer USS Carney “successfully engaged 14 unmanned aerial systems” launched from Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen, according to U.S. Central Command.
US And Britain Say Their Navies Shot Down 15 Attack Drones Over The Red Sea
The drones “were shot down with no damage to ships in the area or reported injuries,” according to a tweet from Central Command.
According to U.K. Defense Secretary Grant Shapps, HMS Diamond launched a Sea Viper missile and destroyed a drone “targeting merchant shipping.” The Royal Navy has shot down an aerial target in anger for the first time since the 1991 Gulf War.
Attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on commercial ships in the global trade artery, according to Shapps, “represent a direct threat to international commerce and maritime security.”
“The U.K. remains committed to repelling these attacks to protect the free flow of global trade,” the prime minister said.
Two weeks ago, HMS Diamond was dispatched to the region as a deterrence, joining vessels from the United States, France, and other countries.
US And Britain Say Their Navies Shot Down 15 Attack Drones Over The Red Sea
Global shipping has become a target during the conflict between Israel and Hamas, which, like the Houthis, receives support from Iran.
On Saturday, Houthi rebels announced they had launched a drone attack on the southern Israeli port city of Eilat. The declaration came just hours after Egypt’s state-run media announced that Egyptian air defense had shot down a “flying object” off the coast of Dahab, an Egyptian Red Sea tourist town.
Israeli-linked vessels have also been targeted, but the threat to trade has escalated as container ships and oil tankers flagged in countries such as Norway and Liberia have been assaulted or drawn missile fire while passing through the waterway that connects Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.
Earlier this month, ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled Yemen damaged three commercial ships in the Red Sea. A U.S. vessel engaged in the assault and shot down three drones, according to the U.S. military.
On Saturday, CMA CGM Group, a French container shipping company, announced that it has ordered all its vessels set to transit the Red Sea to “pause their journey in safe waters with immediate effect until further notice.”
US And Britain Say Their Navies Shot Down 15 Attack Drones Over The Red Sea
Maersk, the world’s largest shipping firm, advised all its vessels planning to transit the Red Sea’s Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Friday to cancel their voyages following a missile strike on a Liberian-flagged cargo ship. Hapag-Lloyd, located in Germany, halted all container ship movement across the Red Sea until Monday.
According to Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdel-Salam, the rebels have held “communications and discussions” with international parties, mediated by Oman, about the Houthis’ attacks on ships in the Red and Arabian seas.
He stated on Twitter that the Houthis would continue to target Israel-linked vessels “until the aggression stops” and the Gaza siege is lifted.
He went on to say that “any genuine steps responding to the humanitarian situation in Palestine and Gaza through bringing in food and medicine would contribute to reducing the escalation.”
SOURCE – AP
