US forces shot down a Houthi drone over the Red Sea and destroyed another drone inside Yemeni territory.
U.S. Central Command said the Iranian-backed group “launched two unmanned aircraft into the Red Sea from Houthi-held areas in Yemen” on Saturday morning, and that its forces later launched “one unmanned aerial vehicle and “The aircraft was successfully engaged and destroyed,” while the other aircraft was “presumed to have been attacked.” It crashed into the Red Sea. ”
Centcom said there were “no reports of damage or injuries from nearby vessels,” and late Saturday night it “destroyed five unmanned surface vessels and one unmanned surface vessel in self-defense in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.” He added.
“These weapons have been determined to pose an imminent threat to commercial shipping and U.S. Navy vessels in the region,” Centcom said. “These steps are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make the high seas safer and more secure for the U.S. Navy and commercial vessels.”
Tanker crew reportedly unharmed after attack by Yemeni Houthi rebels in Red Sea
Houthi supporters participate in a rally in Sanaa, Yemen, on March 8.
The airstrike came as the Houthis launched an apparent attack in the Gulf of Aden on Sunday, detonating explosives near a ship, the Associated Press reported.
The British military’s UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Center said the ship’s crew witnessed the explosion as it passed off the coast of Yemen’s southern port city of Aden, home to the government-in-exile. UKMTO said there were no reports of damage to the vessel or injuries.
Yemen’s Houthis report claims they have hypersonic missiles
Protesters, mainly Houthi supporters, gather on the first Friday of the fasting month of Ramadan in the Gaza Strip in Sanaa, Yemen, March 15 to show continued support for the Palestinian people. (Reuters/Khaled Abdullah)
U.S. Central Command said Friday that the Houthis also “launched three anti-ship ballistic missiles into the Red Sea from Houthi-held areas in Yemen.”
These launches came a day after Russian state media reported that the Houthis possessed new hypersonic missiles.
On March 3, the British-registered cargo ship Rubimar sank after being attacked by Yemen’s Houthi forces while sailing in the Red Sea. (Al-Joumhouriah channel, Getty Images)
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“The group’s missile forces have successfully tested a missile that reaches speeds of up to Mach 8 and runs on solid fuel,” a military official close to the Houthis claimed, RIA Novosti news agency reported.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
