US military says it was responding to a large-scale attack by the Iran-aligned group that posed an \u2018imminent threat\u2019
\nSanaa
\nUnited States Navy ships and aircraft have shot down 15 drones fired by Yemen\u2019s Iran-aligned Houthis in the Red Sea area.
\nThe US military\u2019s Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Saturday that the US-led naval coalition was responding to a large-scale attack by \u201cIranian-backed Houthi terrorists\u201d launched into the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden between 4am and 6:30am (01:00-03:30 GMT).
\nThe uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) presented \u201can imminent threat to merchant vessels, US Navy and coalition ships in the region,\u201d the military said on X.
\n\u201cThese actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure.\u201d
\nThe Houthi\u2019s military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, said on Saturday that the group had carried out two military operations, the first of which targeted US bulk carrier Propel Fortune in the Gulf of Aden.
\nIn the second operation, Saree claimed that several US military destroyers in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden were targeted \u201cby 37 drones\u201d.
\nA French warship and fighter jets also shot down four combat drones that were advancing towards naval vessels belonging to the European Aspides mission in the region.
\n\u201cThis defensive action directly contributed to the protection of the cargo ship True Confidence, under the Barbados flag, which was struck on March 6 and is being towed, as well as other commercial vessels transiting in the area,\u201d a French army statement said.
\nFrance has a warship in the area, but also warplanes at its bases in Djibouti and the United Arab Emirates.
\nThe United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) confirmed an attempted attack on the Singapore-flagged Propel Fortune.
\nIt said the shipping company reported two explosions in close vicinity of the bulk carrier, but all crew on board were safe and the vessel was proceeding to its next port of call.
\n\u201cBased on sources, Propel Fortune, was likely targeted due to outdated US ownership data,\u201d UKMTO said in a statement.
\nThis week, at least three seafarers were killed in a Houthi missile attack on a merchant ship in the Gulf of Aden, the US military said, marking the first deaths reported since the Yemeni group began attacks against shipping in one of the world\u2019s busiest sea lanes over Israel\u2019s war on Gaza.
\nThe Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack on Wednesday, which set the Liberian-owned, Barbados-flagged ship True Confidence ablaze approximately 50 nautical miles (93km) off the coast of Yemen\u2019s port of Aden.
\nA US-led naval coalition has been operating in the waters since December 2023 trying to counter the Houthi attacks. US forces have also carried out strikes on what they say are Houthi weapons sites in Yemen, including hitting truck-mounted antiship missiles on Thursday.
\nDespite a series of air raids by US and British forces on Houthi targets, the group that controls the most populous parts of Yemen has remained capable of launching significant attacks.
\nThose have included last month\u2019s strike on a cargo ship carrying fertiliser, the Rubymar, which sank on Saturday after drifting for several days, and the downing of a US drone worth tens of millions of dollars.
\nHouthi fighters in Yemen have repeatedly launched drones and missiles against international commercial shipping since mid-November, disrupting global commerce along a route that accounts for about 15 percent of the world\u2019s shipping traffic, forcing firms to reroute to longer and more expensive journeys around Southern Africa.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
US military says it was responding to a large-scale attack by the Iran-aligned group that posed an \u2018imminent threat\u2019 Sanaa United States Navy ships and aircraft have shot down 15 drones fired by Yemen\u2019s Iran-aligned Houthis in the Red Sea area. The US military\u2019s Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Saturday that the US-led naval coalition […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":392663,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-392658","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n