The U.S. military said U.S. and coalition forces shot down five Houthi drones late Tuesday in the Red Sea.
U.S. Central Command said the drones were launched from areas of Yemen controlled by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, and that the drones “presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and to the U.S. Navy and coalition ships in the region.”
The strikes were the latest in months of actions seeking to counter attacks by the Houthis against vessels in the Red Sea.
The Houthis have said they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians amid the war in Gaza.
The attacks have prompted many shipping companies to avoid the Red Sea corridor, opting instead for the much longer and more expensive route around Africa.
Maritime security firms reported the latest suspected Houthi attack late Tuesday about 110 kilometers west of Yemen’s port of Hodeida.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations center said it received reports of a rocket exploding several kilometers from a vessel, which was unharmed and proceeding to its next port of call.
British security firm Ambrey said the vessel involved appeared to be a Marshall Islands-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier.
Some information for this report came from Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
