More than a dozen terrorist drones headed some merchant vessels’ way were shot down over the Red Sea by a U.S. Navy warship on Saturday. The drones had been fired by Houthi terrorists based in Yemen as part of a series of attacks on U.S. forces and huge commercial ships.
In a statement announcing the shoot down, U.S. Central Commander said, “In the early morning hours of December 16 (Sanna time) the US Arliegh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS CARNEY (DDG 64), operating in the Red Sea, successfully engaged 14 unmanned aerial systems launched as a drone wave from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.”
“The UAS were assessed to be one-way attack drones and were shot down with no damage to ships in the area or reported injuries. Regional Red Sea partners were alerted to the threat,” the command center added.
HMS Diamond, one of the Navy's most advanced warships, swiftly intercepted and neutralised a potential threat to merchant vessels in the Red Sea using a Sea Viper missile.
Alongside @RoyalNavy, we remain steadfast in safeguarding the lawful passage of ships in the region. pic.twitter.com/9GGnF1PAaZ
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) December 16, 2023
The British military also said that a Royal Navy destroyer shot down another drone that was targeted at commercial ships.
In announcement of the move, U.K. Defense Secretary Grant Shapps stated, “The U.K. remains committed to repelling these attacks to protect the free flow of global trade.”
“HMS Diamond, one of the Navy’s most advanced warships, swiftly intercepted and neutralised a potential threat to merchant vessels in the Red Sea using a Sea Viper missile. Alongside @RoyalNavy , we remain steadfast in safeguarding the lawful passage of ships in the region,” the British Military said.
Saturday’s incident is only one of multiple attacks carried out against merchant ships in the Red Sea since the war between Israel and Hamas, an Iranian-backed terrorist organization like Houthis.
On that same day, Houthi rebels claimed to have fired a barrage of drones toward Eliat, a port city in southern Israel. Hours before that, news came in from Egypt that Egyptian air defense took down a “flying object” on the Red Sea.
On Friday, Houthi rebels also “contacted the Motor Vessel MSC ALANYA, a Liberian flagged vessel that was traveling north in the southern part of the Red Sea and threatened to attack it,” according to a statement from CENTCOM.
The statement added, “The Houthis directed the vessel to turn around and proceed south. Although there were no U.S. ships in the area, U.S. forces maintained direct communications with the vessel, and the ALANYA continued north.
Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdel-Salam has said that the targeting of Israel-linked vessels will not stop until Israel stops its operation in Gaza. While he said that the rebels have had “communications and discussions” with international parties on the issue, he maintained that only when the aggression stops will the attack on ships stop.