Fifteen drones fired by the Yemeni Houthi rebels, supported by Iran, in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden were shot down by American and allied forces, the American Military Command for the Middle East said on Saturday March 9. Orient (Centcom).
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The attack ” in large scale » of the Yemeni Houthi rebels occurred before dawn in the Red Sea and in the Gulf of Aden, indicated the American military Command for the Middle East (Centcom), this Saturday, March 9, 2024. It is about one of the rebels’ largest attacks since they began a campaign of drone and missile strikes in November 2023 against ships transiting the Red Sea, vital for global trade, in a sign of solidarity with the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip where Israel has been at war against the Islamist movement Hamas since October 7.
“ Imminent threat »
Centcom and coalition forces deemed these drones to be “ an imminent threat to merchant ships, US Navy and coalition ships in the region “. Consequently, “ U.S. Navy ships and aircraft, along with several Coalition Navy ships and aircraft, shot down fifteen » drones fired by the Houthis, added the American command in a message published on the social network X (formerly Twitter). “ These initiatives are taken to protect freedom of navigation and to make international waters safer “, he stressed.
For his part, the Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, indicated on X that the rebels had carried out two separate operations. The first targeted the commercial ship Propel Fortune which cruises in the Gulf of Aden, he said, describing it as a boat “ American “. Ship tracking websites describe this bulk carrier as flying the flag of Singapore, but do not give its current location. In a second Houthi operation, Yahya Saree added, “ 37 drones » were drawn on « a number of American warships “.
Repeated keystrokes
In December 2023, the UNITED STATES had announced a maritime security initiative aimed at protecting ships in the Red Sea against attacks by the Houthis, who have forced commercial ships to turn away from this route through which 12% of world trade normally passes. The following January 9, American and British forces shot down 18 drones and three missiles fired by Yemeni rebels towards ships in the Red Sea, the American army said at the time. Since January, the United States and the United Kingdom have also launched repeated strikes on Houthi targets in Yemenbut the rebels continued their attacks.
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