Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Tuesday launched their biggest attack yet on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, officials said, with the barrage of drones and missiles being shot down by U.S. and U.K. warships.
The Iran-backed militia’s barrage included 18 drones, two anti-ship cruise missiles, and an anti-ship ballistic missile, the U.S. military’s Central Command said in a statement. Authorities said the projectiles were aimed “towards international shipping lanes where dozens of merchant vessels were transiting.”
All of the missiles and drones in the “complex attack” were shot down by fighter jets from the Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier and four other ships, the statement read. “This is the 26th Houthi attack on commercial shipping lanes in the Red Sea since Nov. 19,” it added. “There were no injuries or damage reported.”
