The US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported that four drones launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen were shot down by the United States as they headed towards a US destroyer in the southern Red Sea. According to CENTCOM, these attacks are the 14th and 15th on commercial shipping by Houthi militants since October 17.
The Iran-aligned Houthis, who control much of Yemen, have been disrupting world trade for weeks with attacks on ships passing through the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea, citing a response to Israel’s war in Gaza.
The US Naval Forces Central Command responded to distress calls from two ships under attack. A Norwegian-flagged, owned and operated chemical/oil tanker reported a near miss of a Houthi drone attack, and a Gabon-owned, Indian-flagged crude oil tanker reported being hit by a one-way attack. Additionally, two Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles were fired into international shipping lanes in the Southern Red Sea from Houthi controlled areas of Yemen.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency also reported an uncrewed aerial system exploding near a vessel in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, 45 nautical miles southwest of Saleef, Yemen.
The United States recently launched Operation Prosperity Guardian, which will involve joint patrols in Red Sea waters near Yemen, with the participation of more than a dozen countries.