Red Sea: US shoots down 12 drones and 5 missiles fired by Houthi rebels

Attacks in the Red Sea

The US military on Tuesday shot down 12 drones and 5 missiles fired by the Houthis in Yemen, according to the Pentagon. Explosions were heard and missiles were seen near a ship transiting the Red Sea on Tuesday, Britain’s maritime security agency UKMTO said.

The Israeli army announced for its part that it had intercepted “a hostile aerial target” which was heading towards its territory.

The Houthi rebels, who claimed the same day to have launched a missile at a ship in the Red Sea and carried out a drone attack towards Israel, say they are launching these attacks in solidarity with Gaza.

Various military assets, including aircraft, “shot down 12 attack drones, 3 anti-ship ballistic missiles and 2 cruise missiles in the southern Red Sea, fired by the Houthis” on Tuesday, Centcom said on X ( formerly Twitter), specifying that no damage or injuries were reported.

Explosions and missiles near a port

“Explosions were heard and missiles seen” near Hodeida, a port in western Yemen under the control of Yemeni Houthi rebels, she added, specifying that the ship and its crew were safe.

Earlier on Tuesday, two other explosions sounded near another ship, also off the coast of Hodeida, the British maritime agency said, without reporting any damage or casualties. And the boat continued its journey. These attacks have not been claimed.

But in recent weeks, the Houthis have increased attacks near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which separates the Arabian Peninsula from Africa and through which 12% of world trade passes, according to the International Chamber of Shipping ( ICS).

Yemeni rebels, backed by Iran, have warned that, in solidarity with Gaza, they will target ships sailing in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen with links to Israel.

Several missiles and drones were shot down by American, French and British warships patrolling the area.

According to the Pentagon, the Houthis, who control swaths of Yemeni territory including the capital Sanaa, have launched dozens of drone and missile attacks, targeting 10 merchant ships involving more than 35 countries.

These attacks, threatening to disrupt global trade flows, pushed the United States to set up a multinational maritime protection force in the Red Sea called “the guardians of prosperity”.

Since the start of the war, the Houthis have increased attacks in the Red Sea against ships suspected of having links with Israel, in solidarity with Gaza.