Illustrative image. (The United States Central Command)
The United States and its allies shot down 28 drones launched from Yemen by the Houthis (Ansar Allah) at targets in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden on March 9, in one of the largest attacks by the Iranian-backed group so far.
In a statement posted to the X social platform, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said that the “large-scale” Houthi attack occurred before dawn.
CENTCOM and coalition forces determined that the drones “presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels, US Navy and coalition ships in the region.” It added that “U.S. Navy vessels and aircraft along with multiple coalition navy ships and aircraft shot down 15” of the drones.
“These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure,” the command said.
CENTCOM said in an update later on the same day, also posted to X, that the U.S. and its allies had downed a total of 28 drones in the operation.
The Ministry of Armed Forces of France announced on the same day that its fighter jets and one warship had shot down four drones in the Gulf of Aden.
“This defensive action contributed directly to the protection of the cargo ship True Confidence (under Barbadian flag), which was hit on March 6 and is currently being towed away,” it said in a statement.
A spokesperson for the ministry confirmed later the four drones were among the 28 destroyed in total by the U.S.-led coalition.
In a statement claiming responsibility for the large-scale attack, the Houthis said they had fired missiles at an “American” cargo ship and launched 37 suicide drone drones at U.S. Navy warships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The Houthis, who are backed by Iran, have targeted dozens of Israel-affiliated vessels and others owned by the U.S. and the United Kingdom in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November 19 in response to the ongoing Israeli war and siege on the Palestinian Gaza Strip.
The group’s large-scale drone attack indicates that its capabilities were not affected by hundreds of American and British strikes that targeted its control areas in Yemen over the past two months.
