(Dubai) The United States and the forces of a coalition set up by Washington have shot down two drones launched by Houthi rebels off the coast of Yemen, the American military Command for the Middle East (Centcom) said on Wednesday.
The Iran-backed Houthis launched three drones on Monday evening, the first was intercepted by a coalition ship and the second by the US military, while the third crashed in the Gulf of Aden (south), Centcom said on its X account.
At dawn on Tuesday, the Yemeni rebels also “launched an anti-ship ballistic missile”, Centcom added, specifying that “no injuries or damage” had been reported.
The British maritime safety agency UKMTO reported on Tuesday two explosions in the “immediate vicinity” of a merchant ship crossing the Gulf of Aden.
The measures taken by the United States and the coalition aim to “protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer,” Centcom assured.
The Houthis, who control large swaths of Yemen, have been carrying out attacks since November against ships they believe are linked to Israel. They claim to be acting in solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where Israel is waging a murderous war against Hamas in retaliation for the unprecedented attack by this Palestinian Islamist movement on Israeli soil on October 7.
Faced with Houthi attacks, the United States, Israel’s supporter, set up a multinational maritime protection force in December and carried out, sometimes with the help of the United Kingdom, strikes against the Houthis in Yemen. The latter have since expanded their attacks to ships linked to the United States or the United Kingdom.