the British and American armies say they have repelled “the largest attack” carried out by the Houthis

The British and American armies pushed back “the biggest attack” carried out by the Houthi rebels to date in the Red Sea, said the British Defense Minister on Wednesday January 10. British and American forces shot down 18 drones and 3 missiles fired by the Yemeni group on Tuesday evening. “THE [navire britannique HMS] Diamond foiled several drone attacks in its direction and that of merchant ships in the area”specified the British minister on the social network X. He added that there had been no injuries to the crew, or damage caused to the boat.

This new attack is the 26th targeting commercial maritime traffic in the Red Sea since mid-January, according to the US military Command in the Middle East (Centcom). It came while the head of American diplomacy Antony Blinken was in Israel, as part of a tour aimed in particular at preventing the conflict in the Gaza Strip from spreading to the entire region.

Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, the Houthis, who control a large part of Yemen, have increased attacks in the Red Sea, claiming to act in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza. Tel Aviv’s first ally, Washington set up an international coalition in December to protect maritime traffic in this strategic area, where 12% of world trade passes.