The combined forced launch of drones and missiles targeted merchant ships.
January 9, 2024, 10:25 p.m. ET
• 3 min reading
The US Navy and Britain's Royal Navy foiled a major Houthi attack in the Red Sea on Tuesday evening, firing 18 disposable drones and three missiles at merchant ships.
The incident began around 9:15 p.m. local time when the Houthis launched “Iranian-developed disposable attack drones,” “anti-ship cruise missiles and an anti-ship missile,” Centcom said in a post on X. According to Centcom, the weapons were out fired in Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen.
The Houthi missiles and drones targeted an area where dozens of merchant ships were traveling, Centcom said Tuesday evening.
In this June 13, 2016 file photo provided by the U.S. Navy, the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower transits the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean.US Navy via Getty Images, FILE
According to Centcom, all drones and missiles were shot down by fighter jets from the naval carrier USS Eisenhower, three US Navy destroyers and the British HMS Diamond.
Tuesday night's attack marks the 26th Houthi attack on commercial shipping routes since November 19.
The US issued a joint statement with a coalition of allies on the attacks earlier this month, saying: “The Houthis will bear responsibility for the consequences if they continue to threaten lives, the global economy or the free flow of trade in the region . “critical waterways.”
In late December, the Pentagon announced the formation of Operation Prosperity Guardian, a multinational maritime task force designed to counter Houthi attacks.
The American and British warships that repelled this latest Houthi attack are all involved in this operation.