British defence minister Grant Shapps said on Saturday (March 9) that the UK’s warship HMS Richmond had downed two Houthi attack drones, joining French and American forces in safeguarding Red Sea maritime lanes.
“Last night, HMS Richmond used its Sea Ceptor missiles to shoot down two attack drones – successfully repelling yet another illegal attack by the Iranian-backed Houthis,” Shapps said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Saturday.
“The UK and our allies will continue to take the action necessary to save lives and protect freedom of navigation.”
US, French and British forces have shot down dozens of drones in the Red Sea area overnight.
Houthis target US war destroyers in the Red Sea
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebel group on Saturday (March 9) said that it targeted bulk carrier Propel Fortune in the Gulf of Aden.
“The naval forces and the air force of the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out two specific military operations. The first operation targeted the American ship “Propel Fortune” in the Gulf of Aden with a number of suitable naval missiles,” the group’s military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a televised speech.
“The second operation targeted a number of American war destroyers in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden with 37 drones, and the two operations successfully achieved their goals,” Sarea added.
The Houthi rebels have been launching attacks against ships in the Red Sea since November. The group dubs the attacks as a campaign of solidarity with Palestinians amid the ongoing war in Gaza between Israel and militant group Hamas.
US Navy shoots down 15 UAVs in Red Sea area
Meanwhile, the US Navy ships and aircraft downed 15 uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) launched by Yemen’s Houthis in the Red Sea area, said US Central Command (CENTCOM).
The military was responding to a large-scale attack launched by the “Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists” into the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden between 4 am and 6:30 am (1300-1530 GMT).
The UAVs were determined to present “an imminent threat to merchant vessels, U.S. Navy, and coalition ships in the region,” it said.
(With inputs from agencies)
