WASHINGTON: American and British forces claimed to shoot down 18 drones and three missiles Tuesday that were launched by Yemen’s Huthi rebels toward international shipping lanes in the Red Sea, the US military said.
The attack came a week after 12 nations led by the United States warned the Huthis of consequences unless they immediately halted firing on commercial vessels — strikes the rebels say are in support of Palestinians in Gaza.
The drones and missiles were downed by a combination of F/A-18 warplanes operating from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier and one British and three American destroyers, CENTCOM said, adding that there were no injuries or damage reported.
The United States set up a multinational naval task force last month to protect Red Sea shipping from Huthi attacks, which are endangering a transit route that carries up to 12 percent of global trade.
The Huthis say they are targeting Israeli-linked vessels, but Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, the commander of US naval forces in the Middle East, said last week that dozens of countries have connections to ships that have been attacked.
Newspakistan.tv/APP/AFP
