A U.S. warship shot down 14 suspected attack drones over the Red Sea on Saturday, and a Royal Navy destroyer downed another drone that was targeting commercial ships, the British and American militaries said.
Quick Read
- U.S. Warship Engages Drones: The USS Carney, a U.S. destroyer, successfully shot down 14 suspected attack drones over the Red Sea.
- Royal Navy Action: The Royal Navy destroyer HMS Diamond downed another drone targeting commercial ships, marking the first such action by the Royal Navy since the 1991 Gulf War.
- Houthi Rebel Attacks: Houthi rebels in Yemen have been launching attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, a critical global shipping route, and targeting Israel with drones and missiles.
- No Damage or Injuries Reported: The drones were shot down without causing damage to ships in the area or any reported injuries.
- Threat to Global Trade: U.K. Defense Secretary Grant Shapps emphasized the threat posed by these attacks to international commerce and maritime security.
- International Naval Presence: HMS Diamond was deployed to the region as a deterrent, joining vessels from the U.S., France, and other countries.
- Wider Conflict Implications: The attacks occur amidst the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, with Iran-backed groups like the Houthis and Hamas involved.
- Houthi Claims of Drone Attacks: Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for drone attacks towards the Israeli port city of Eilat.
- Targeting of Israeli-Linked Vessels: Israeli-linked vessels have been targeted in the past, but the threat has escalated to include commercial ships from various countries.
- Recent Commercial Ship Attacks: There have been ballistic missile strikes on commercial ships in the Red Sea, including a recent attack on a Liberian-flagged cargo ship.
- Shipping Companies’ Response: Major shipping companies like Maersk and CMA CGM Group have paused or altered their vessels’ journeys through the Red Sea due to these security concerns.
The Associated Press has the story:
US and Britain say their navies shot down 15 attack drones over the Red Sea
Newslooks- LONDON (AP)
A U.S. warship shot down 14 suspected attack drones over the Red Sea on Saturday, and a Royal Navy destroyer downed another drone that was targeting commercial ships, the British and American militaries said.
Houthi rebels in Yemen have launched a series of attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, and have launched drones and missiles targeting Israel, as the Israel-Hamas war threatens to spread.
U.S. Central Command said that the destroyer USS Carney “successfully engaged 14 unmanned aerial systems” launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
The drones “were shot down with no damage to ships in the area or reported injuries,” Central Command tweeted.
U.K. Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said that HMS Diamond fired a Sea Viper missile and destroyed a drone that was “targeting merchant shipping.” The overnight action is the first time the Royal Navy has shot down an aerial target in anger since the 1991 Gulf War.
Shapps said attacks on commercial ships in the global trade artery by Yemen’s Houthi rebels “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,” he said in a statement.
HMS Diamond was sent to the region two weeks ago as a deterrent, joining vessels from the U.S., France and other countries.
Global shipping has become a target during the war between Israel and Hamas, which like the Houthis is backed by Iran.
Houthi rebels said they fired a barrage of drones on Saturday toward the port city of Eilat in southern Israel. The announcement came hours after Egypt’s state-run media reported that Egyptian air defense had shot down a “flying object” off the Egyptian resort town of Dahab on the Red Sea.
Israeli-linked vessels also have been targeted, but the threat to trade has grown as container ships and oil tankers flagged to countries like Norway and Liberia have been attacked or drawn missile fire while traversing the waterway between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.
Earlier this month, three commercial ships in the Red Sea were struck by ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled Yemen. A U.S. warship shot down three drones during the assault, the U.S. military said.
French container shipping line CMA CGM Group said Saturday it had ordered all its vessels scheduled to pass through the Red Sea to “pause their journey in safe waters with immediate effect until further notice.”
On Friday Maersk, the world’s biggest shipping company, also told all its vessels planning to pass through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea to stop their journeys after a missile attack on a Liberian-flagged cargo ship. German-based shipper Hapag-Lloyd said it was pausing all its container ship traffic through the Red Sea until Monday.
