LONDON—An American 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, according to the British and American forces.
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 toward Israel.
U.S. The destroyer USS Carney "successfully engaged 14 unmanned aerial systems" fired from Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen, according to Central Command.
The drones “were shot down with no damage to ships in the area or reported injuries,” Central Command wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
HMS Diamond, according to UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps, launched a Sea Viper missile and destroyed a drone that was "targeting merchant shipping." The nocturnal operation marks the first time the Royal Navy has shot down an aerial target in combat 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 UK remains committed to repelling these attacks to protect the free flow of global trade,” he said in a statement.
HMS Diamond was dispatched to the region as a deterrence two weeks ago, joining boats from the United States, France, and other countries.
During the conflict between Israel and the Hamas terrorist group, which, like the Houthis, is sponsored by Iran, global shipping has become a target.
On Saturday, Houthi rebels announced they launched a drone attack on the southern Israeli port city of Eilat. The declaration came only 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 boats have also been targeted, but the threat to trade has escalated as cargo ships and oil tankers flagged in countries such as Norway and Liberia have been assaulted or attracted missile fire while passing through the canal 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. According to the US military, three drones were shot down by a US vessel during the attack.
CMA CGM Group, a French container shipping company, announced on Saturday that it has ordered all of its vessels set to transit the Red Sea to "pause their journey in safe waters with immediate effect until further notice."
Maersk, the world's largest shipping firm, also advised all of its vessels intending 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, announced a halt to all container ship movement across the Red Sea until Monday.
According to Houthi spokesperson 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 posted on X that the Houthis would continue targeting Israel-linked vessels “until the aggression stops” and the siege of Gaza is lifted. He added 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.”
