Following the Huthi rebels’ claims that they had targeted American and Israeli ships off the Gulf of Aden, the US military announced on Thursday that it had shot down 11 of their drones.
The Huthi rebels are supported by Iran in Yemen. On X, previously Twitter, the US Central Command reported that its forces had shot down three drones that were launched from regions under Huthi control on Wednesday morning and eight more drones the same day.
“It was determined the UAVs presented an imminent threat to U.S., coalition, and merchant vessels in the region,” the statement said using the acronym for unmanned aerial vehicles. The latest Huthi attacks targeted two Israeli ships as well as an American commercial vessel and a US warship, the Huthis said in a statement. “The ships were targeted with a number of suitable naval missiles and drones,” the statement said. Since November, the United States has carried out retaliatory strikes against targets in Yemen that the Huthi rebels have targeted with missiles and drones, targeting commerce in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
The rebels claim that by acting as they do, they are showing support for Palestinians in Israel’s conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The United States, Israel’s principal ally, established a multinational coalition in December to safeguard marine transportation, but it hasn’t been able to stop the attacks thus far.
