US military shoots down 14 drones in Red Sea

ATLANTA (Pajhwok): The United States warship shot down 14 suspected attack drones over the Red Sea on Saturday, and a Royal Navy destroyer downed another unmanned aerial vehicle that was targeting commercial ships.

Houthi rebels in Yemen launched a series of attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, launching drones and missiles targeting Israel.

The unmanned aerial systems “were assessed to be one-way attack drones and were shot down with no damage to ships in the area or reported injuries,” US Central Command wrote on X.

Regional Red Sea partners were alerted to the threat. The drones were struck down by the USS Carney guided missile destroyer early on Saturday. The UK navy also repelled a suspected drone attack.

MSC Mediterranean Shipping Co. SA, the world’s largest container line, joined competitors in diverting ships away from the Red Sea.

Earlier this month, three commercial ships in the Red Sea were struck by ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled Yemen. A US warship shot down three drones during the assault, the US military said.

kk/mud