A US destroyer operating in the Red Sea shot down 14 drones launched from “Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen” on Saturday, the US military Middle East Command (CENTCOM) said.
The drones “were identified as attack drones” and were “shot down without causing any damage to ships in the area or reported injuries,” CENTCOM said on X.
The operation, led by the destroyer USS Carney, took place “in the early hours of Saturday” local time, he said, and “partners in the region in the Red Sea were warned of the threat.”
Houthi rebels, close to Iran, have warned that they will target ships sailing off the coast of Yemen and with links to Israel, in response to the war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip .
In recent weeks, several missiles and drones have been shot down by warships patrolling the area.
The American destroyer USS Carney had already shot down three drones about two weeks ago while providing assistance to commercial ships in the Red Sea targeted by attacks from Yemen.
UK Defense Minister Grant Shapps also said a British destroyer had shot down a “suspected attack drone targeting shipping in the Red Sea” overnight from Friday to Saturday.
The giant CMA CGM, the leading French maritime carrier, announced on Saturday that it was suspending, like the Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd groups, the crossing of the Red Sea by its container ships after these attacks.
On Friday, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin indicated on take care”.
Mr. Austin is due to visit the Middle East this weekend, with a stop in Israel, Qatar and Bahrain, according to the Pentagon. He will also visit the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford in the Mediterranean Sea.
In Bahrain, home to the Ve fleet of the US Navy, the discussions will focus on “the efforts of the United States to bring together multilateral coalitions to respond to aggressions at sea which threaten the economy of transport” maritime, indicated the Pentagon.
In Israel, Lloyd Austin will also discuss “measures taken by Israel to reduce civilian harm,” from the same source, and he will meet with Israeli military officials to discuss “future steps in the conflict after a possible cessation of high-intensity operations on the ground and in the air.