AL-MUKALLA: A US warplane and a coalition cruiser in the Red Sea intercepted and destroyed five explosive-laden drones launched by Yemen’s Houthi militia on Tuesday night, the US Central Command said on Wednesday.
This came as the Houthis said that the US and UK “aggression” conducted more attacks on the western province of Hodeidah.
“On Feb. 27, between the hours of 9:50 p.m. and 10:55 p.m. (Sanaa time), US aircraft and a coalition warship shot down five Iranian-backed Houthi one-way attack (OWA) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in the Red Sea,” CENTCOM announced on social media.
Houthi media said that the US and UK had launched two airstrikes on targets on the Red Sea Labwan Island in Hodeidah province on Tuesday night, inflicting damage on the targeted areas.
At the same time, UK Maritime Trade Operations, a maritime agency that investigates ship attacks, said on Tuesday night that it had received an alert about an explosion 60 nautical miles west of Hodeidah in which a rocket was spotted hitting the starboard side of a ship sailing through the Red Sea.
The US, according to a senior US military official, has targeted more than 230 locations in Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen, possibly destroying hundreds of Houthi weapons in recent weeks, and it, together with its ally naval forces, has intercepted and destroyed dozens of Houthi missiles and drones.
In a testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism on Tuesday, Daniel Shapiro, deputy assistant secretary of defense for Middle East policy, said that the US Department of Defense was committed to defending civilians and international shipping lanes against Houthi attacks.
He added that the attacks had impeded the supply of humanitarian aid, such as food and medicine, to Yemen and other impoverished nations.
Since November, the Iran-backed Houthis have fired hundreds of drones and missiles against commercial and naval ships in the Red Sea, Bab Al-Mandab and the Gulf of Aden, while also declaring a ban on any Israel-bound or related ships from passing through international maritime waters near Yemen.
The Houthis say that they want to force Israel to let food, water and other critical humanitarian supplies into the Gaza Strip.
Despite airstrikes and local and international pleas for de-escalation in the Red Sea, the Houthis have pledged to continue their assaults until Israel removes its blockade on Gaza.
The UK Embassy in Yemen warned on Wednesday that Houthi assaults on ships would result in an environmental catastrophe off Yemen’s shores, citing the Lebanese-operated MV Rubymar ship, which generated a big oil slick in the Red Sea after being hit by Houthi missiles.
“Despite years of international effort to avert a crisis with the FSO SAFER, the Houthis are threatening another environmental disaster with the reckless attack on the MV Rubymar. The vessel is now at risk of leaking into the Red Sea. We call on the Houthis to stop their attacks,” the embassy said on X.
Yemen’s government told Arab News on Tuesday that they were racing against time to save the MV Rubymar ship, which was sinking with a cargo of 22,000 tons of fertilizer, and that they were seeking assistance from nations and conservation groups to bring the ship to land.
Meanwhile, Yemen’s Interior Ministry said that it had apprehended 10 people who were planning to kidnap foreigners and government officials in the eastern province of Mahra.
The official news agency SABA quoted Interior Minister Ibrahim Haydan as thanking local security officials in Mahra for discovering a “terrorist” cell of 10 people on Sunday after tracking them for months, adding that security forces exchanged fire with the group when they refused to surrender.
