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 Hamas.
The war between Israel and Hamas continues to increase tensions across the region.
Israel regularly exchanges fire across its northern border with Lebanon, mainly with Iran-backed Hezbollah. On Saturday, the Israeli army said one soldier was killed and two others injured on the Lebanese border.
Maritime traffic in the Red Sea has also suffered the impact of the conflict. After attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, presented as responses to the war between Israel and Hamas, several global shipping giants successively announced that they would interrupt the passage of their ships through this key commercial passage.
US destroyer in Red Sea shoots down 14 drones launched from Yemen
A US destroyer operating in the Red Sea on Saturday shot down 14 drones launched from “areas of Yemen controlled by the Houthis”declared the US military Middle East Command (Centcom).
Drones “were identified as attack drones” and were “shot down without causing damage to vessels in the area or injuries reported”specified Centcom on X.
The operation, led by the destroyer USS Carney, took place “in the early morning on Saturday” local time, he said, and “the region’s partners in the Red Sea have been 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 that targeted merchant shipping in the Red Sea” during the night 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, American Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin indicated on X that he had spoken with Grant Shapps about these attacks in the Red Sea, which he described as“irresponsible and illegal”And “an international problem that needs to be addressed.”
Lloyd Austin is visiting the Middle East this weekend, with a stop in Israel, Qatar and Bahrain. He also visits the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford in the Mediterranean Sea.
In Bahrain, home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, discussions were expected to focus on “US efforts to bring together multilateral coalitions to respond to attacks at sea that threaten the shipping economy” maritime, the Pentagon said.
In Israel, Lloyd Austin was also due to discuss the “measures taken by Israel to reduce civilian harm”from the same source, and he was to meet Israeli military officials to talk “future stages in the conflict following a possible cessation of high-intensity ground and air operations.”
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