USS Carney firing interceptors at missiles and drones launched from Yemen over the Red Sea on October 19. Source: U.S. Army.
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on March 17 that it had shot down a drone launched by the Houthis (Ansar Allah) and destroyed several others in strikes on areas held by the group in Yemen a day earlier.
In a statement, the command said its forces shot down one of two suicide drones launched by the Houthis towards the Red Sea. The other drone was presumed to have crashed into the waters, the group added, noting that there were no reports of damage or injuries from ships in the vicinity.
CENTCOM announced in the same statement that it had destroyed unmanned surface vessels and one drone in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen in self-defense.
“It was determined these weapons presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region,” the command said. “These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S. Navy and merchant vessels.”
Yemen’s Al-Masirah TV, which is run by the Houthis, said that four “American-British” strikes hit the western city of al-Hodeidah on March 16. The strikes targeted the southern district of Durayhimi in the city, with no immediate details on casualties or damage reported, according to the news channel.
Also on March 17, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a detachment of the Royal Navy, said that the captain of a merchant ship east of the Yemeni southern city of Aden had reported an explosion near the ship.
“No damage to the vessel has been reported and the crew are reported safe. The vessel is proceeding to its next port of call,” UKMTO said in an advisory note.
The ship was sailing some 85 nautical miles east of Aden, in an area where the Houthis targeted several vessels in recent months.
The Houthis have attacked over 60 Israel-affiliated vessels and others owned by the U.S. and the UK in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since last November in response to the Israeli war and siege on Gaza.
In response, the U.S. and the UK carried out hundreds of strikes against Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen in recent months. At least 34 people were killed in the strikes. However, the Houthis are now planning to expand their operations to cover vessels in the Indian Ocean, as they travel toward the Cape of Good Hope.
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