Houthi Movement/Handout/Getty Images
This handout screenshot from a video shows the takeover of the Galaxy Leader Cargo by Yemeni Houthi fighters on the Red Sea coast off Hudaydah on November 20, 2023 in the Red Sea, Yemen.
CNN –
The US Navy shot down 21 Houthi missiles and drones launched from Yemen in one of the largest Houthi attacks in the Red Sea in recent months, according to a statement from US Central Command.
The military called it a “complex attack” by Iran-backed militants.
The barrage, fired in Yemen around 9:15 p.m. on Tuesday, included 18 disposable attack drones, two anti-ship cruise missiles and one anti-ship cruise missile, Central Command said. The attack targeted international shipping routes in the southern Red Sea, where it said “dozens” of merchant ships were traveling.
Two defense officials had previously told CNN that the barrage included a total of 24 drones and missiles.
CENTCOM said no ships were damaged in the attacks and there were no injuries as a result of the massive drone and missile launch.
Three destroyers were involved in launching the barrage, one of the officials said.
According to Central Command, two U.S. destroyers and F-18 fighter jets from the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower took part in the joint effort to shoot down the missiles and drones. HMS Diamond, a British Royal Navy air defense destroyer, also took part in the effort.
The United States and other nations have deployed a number of ships to the Red Sea as part of Operation Prosperity Guardian, a multinational effort to protect shipping in one of the world's most critical waterways. The coalition consists of more than 20 countries.
The launch comes as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits the Middle East to contain the Gaza war and prevent regional escalation.
Blinken was in Israel on Tuesday, where he told officials that Palestinians in Gaza must be allowed to return to their homes “as soon as conditions permit.” The minister has repeatedly called on the Israeli government to reduce the number of civilian casualties as a result of the Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip.
The Iran-backed Houthis have said their drone and missile launches are a sign of solidarity with the Palestinian people. Their first series of attacks, which began shortly after the Israel-Hamas war began, targeted merchant ships with any connection to Israel. According to Central Command, the Houthis have so far carried out 26 attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea.
But most of the last dozen attacks have had no connection to Israel at all, Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Naval Central Command, said last week, even as it implicates more nations in the situation.
The US believes that 55 nations have direct ties to the ships attacked, whether through the ship's flag state, the nationality of the crew, the ship's origin and destination or the ships' ownership.
“The impact of these attacks extends across the world and, as we have said, this is an international problem that requires an international solution,” Cooper said.
In a joint statement last week, the US and about a dozen other countries condemned the ongoing Houthi attacks and warned: “The Houthis will bear responsibility for the consequences if they continue to threaten lives, the global economy and the free flow of trade.” waterways of the region.”
Central Command reiterated this threat in its statement regarding the latest attack.
This headline and article have been updated with additional reporting.