US, UK repel major Houthi attack in Red Sea

US and UK forces have shot down more than 20 drones and missiles over the Red Sea launched by Yemen’s Houthis, in what London branded yesterday the “largest attack” yet by Iran-backed rebels.

The Western allies’ warships and planes took out 18 drones and three missiles in their latest Red Sea military intervention on Tuesday, the US military said.

HMS Diamond, a British destroyer, intervened with “her guns and Sea Viper missiles” after the drones were “heading for her and commercial shipping in the area”, UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said.

It comes a week after 12 nations led by the United States warned the Houthis of consequences unless they immediately halted firing on commercial vessels in the busy international shipping corridor.

The Houthis say they are targeting Israeli-linked vessels in support of Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel is battling Hamas.

“Overnight, HMS Diamond, along with US warships, successfully repelled the largest attack from the Iranian-backed Houthis in the Red Sea to date,” Shapps said in a statement.

“The UK alongside allies have previously made clear that these illegal attacks are completely unacceptable and if continued the Houthis will bear the consequences.

“We will take the action needed to protect innocent lives and the global economy,” he vowed.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the Houthis had launched “a complex attack of Iranian designed one-way attack UAVs”, as well as firing anti-ship cruise missiles and an anti-ship ballistic missile from Yemen.

They were downed by a combination of F/A-18 warplanes, operating from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier, three American destroyers and the British naval vessel.

The incident is the latest since the US set up a multinational naval task force last month to protect Red Sea shipping from attacks, which are endangering a transit route that carries up to 12 percent of global trade.