The United States Central Command (CENTCOM, in English) announced this Saturday that it thwarted a “large-scale” attack by the Yemen's Houthi Shiite rebelsand shot down 15 drones launched against coalition ships and merchant vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
A Centcom statement onl Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden“.
US Navy ships and aircraft, along with several coalition ships and aircraft, shot down 15 unmanned aerial vehicles
“CENTCOM and coalition forces identified one-way attack (OWA) UAVs and determined that they posed an imminent threat to merchant vessels, the US Navy and coalition ships in the region,” he added.
“U.S. Navy ships and aircraft, along with several coalition ships and aircraft, shot down 15 unmanned aerial vehicles,” he said.
Centcom reiterated that “these actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure.”
US and Coalition Defeat Houthi Attack in Red Sea Area
Between 4 am and 6:30 am (Sanaa time), Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists conducted a large-scale uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) attack into the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. CENTCOM and coalition forces identified the one-way… pic.twitter.com/PJag5PYUfZ
— US Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 9, 2024
The note from the US Central Command comes a few hours after the military spokesman for the Houthis, Yehya Sarea, postponed the release of a military statement, which he had planned to give before midnight, “due to urgent military events.”
Since mid-November, the Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, have carried out dozens of attacks against ships in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, as well as towards Israel.
Yemeni rebels say they carry out these attacks in retaliation for the Israel's war in the Gaza Stripbut their operations in the area have intensified in recent weeks after the American and British bombings against their positions, and after being classified by Washington as a terrorist group.
The top leader of the Houthis, Abdelmalek al Houthi, said last Thursday, March 7, that his group has launched a total of 96 attacks with ballistic missiles and drones against 61 ships in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea in the last five months, after the start of the war in Gaza the second week of last October.
EFE
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