Houthi forces in Yemen claim to have launched one of their largest attacks on US shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, saying they sent 37 drones to hit US navy war ships and a commercial ship.
The US Central Command said it had stopped the attack, which it attributed to Iranian-backed Houthi forces. The US spoke of only shooting down 15, not 37, drones.
The Houthis in a statement issued by the group’s military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said the attack had been a success, but provided no evidence.
Among those repelling the Houthi attacks was a Danish frigate Iver Huitfeldt, which shot down four Houthi drones in the Red Sea on Friday night.
The commander on the Iver Huitfeldt, Capt Sune Lund, said: “At a little after 4am local time we recognised a drone which was heading towards Iver Huitfeldt and the surrounding ships. After making sure it was an enemy, we engaged and defeated it. Over the next hour this happened three more times.”
The commercial ship that was targeted, the Propel Fortune, was Singapore flagged. It had issued messages that it had no connection with Israel, but the Houthis claimed it was linked to the US.
The Houthis, who captured the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, in 2015, have said they are mounting the attacks on Israeli-linked shipping in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Their stance has propelled the group into a form of international notoriety.
Central Command said: “Between 4am and 6:30am (Sanaa time), Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists conducted a large-scale uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) attack into the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. CentCom and coalition forces identified the one-way attack (OWA) UAVs and determined that they presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels, US navy, and coalition ships in the region. US navy vessels and aircraft along with multiple coalition navy ships and aircraft shot down 15 OWA UAVs.
“These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure.”
The severity of the Houthi dual attack – regardless of its precise size – will be disturbing to the US-UK force, which has been patrolling the Red Sea and seeking to destroy the source of the Houthi land attacks.
Earlier in the week, a Houthi attack on a Barbados-flagged ship True Confidence led to the deaths of at least three sailors, the first civilian casualties caused by the Houthi missile and drone strikes.
