A U.S. warship shot down 14 believed attack drones over the Red Sea on Saturday, and a Royal Navy destroyer downed another drone that was targeting business ships, the British and American armed forces stated.
Houthi rebels in Yemen have actually introduced a series of attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, among the world’s busiest shipping paths, and have actually introduced drones and rockets targeting Israel, as the Israel-Hamas war threatens to spread out.
The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) sets sail in the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey, July 14, 2019.
Yoruk Isik|Reuters
U.S. Central Command stated that the destroyer USS Carney “successfully engaged 14 unmanned aerial systems” introduced from Houthi- managed locations of Yemen.
The drones “were shot down with no damage to ships in the area or reported injuries,” Central Command tweeted.
U.K. Defense Secretary Grant Shapps stated that HMS Diamond fired a Sea Viper rocket and ruined a drone that was “targeting merchant shipping.” The over night action is the very first time the Royal Navy has actually shot down an aerial target in anger given that the 1991 Gulf War.
Shapps stated attacks on business ships in the international trade artery by Yemen’s Houthi rebels “represent a direct threat to international commerce and maritime security.”
“The U.K. remains committed to repelling these attacks to protect the free flow of global trade,” he stated in a declaration.
HMS Diamond was sent out to the area 2 weeks back as a deterrent, signing up with vessels from the U.S., France and other nations.
Global shipping has actually ended up being a target throughout the war in between Israel and Hamas, which like the Houthis is backed by Iran.
Houthi rebels stated they fired a barrage of drones on Saturday towards the port city of Eilat in southernIsrael The statement came hours after Egypt’s state-run media reported that Egyptian air defense had actually shot down a “flying object” off the Egyptian resort town of Dahab on the Red Sea.
Israeli- connected vessels likewise have actually been targeted, however the hazard to trade has actually grown as container ships and oil tankers flagged to nations like Norway and Liberia have actually been assaulted or drawn rocket fire while passing through the waterway in between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.
Earlier this month, 3 business ships in the Red Sea were struck by ballistic rockets fired from Houthi- managedYemen A U.S. warship shot down 3 drones throughout the attack, the U.S. armed force stated.
French container shipping line CMA CGM stated Saturday it had actually bought all its vessels arranged to travel through the Red Sea to “pause their journey in safe waters with immediate effect until further notice.”
On Friday Maersk, the world’s most significant shipping business, likewise talked its vessels preparing to travel through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea to stop their journeys after a rocket attack on a Liberian- flagged freight ship. German- based carrier Hapag-Lloyd stated it was stopping briefly all its container ship traffic through the Red Sea till Monday.
