US, UK forces shoot down Houthi missiles, drones in Red Sea

UKMTO and Ambrey also received reports of Red Sea incidents near Yemen's Hodeidah.

 Ship and tug boats are seen at the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen February 1, 2017. (photo credit: REUTERS/ABDULJABBAR ZEYAD)
Ship and tug boats are seen at the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen February 1, 2017.
(photo credit: REUTERS/ABDULJABBAR ZEYAD)

US and UK forces shot down 21 drones and missiles fired by Yemen-based Houthis on Tuesday into the Southern Red Sea towards international shipping lanes, the US military's Central Command said.

US Central Command said there were no injuries or damage reported, adding that this was the 26th Houthi attack on commercial shipping lanes in the Red Sea since November 19.

Reports of other Red Sea incidents

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) organization and British maritime security firm Ambrey on Tuesday received reports of incidents in the Red Sea near Yemen.

UKMTO received a report of an incident approximately 50 nautical miles (93 km) west of Yemen's Hodeidah, which authorities were investigating, it said in an advisory note.

Ambrey received reports of suspicious activity from two merchant vessels southwest of Yemen's Mokha, though no damage was reported.

A tanker either saw flares or missile trails, while a bulk carrier detected three small vessels approximately 1 mile in the direction of their port quarter, Ambrey said in an advisory note.

The bulk carrier reported seeing two missiles fired from the direction of the boats and one unmanned aerial vehicle flying ahead of the vessel, Ambrey added.

 The Galaxy Leader cargo ship is escorted by Houthi boats in the Red Sea in this photo released November 20, 2023. (credit: Houthi Military Media/Handout via REUTERS)
The Galaxy Leader cargo ship is escorted by Houthi boats in the Red Sea in this photo released November 20, 2023. (credit: Houthi Military Media/Handout via REUTERS)

"Ambrey assessed this event was separate from an event that was reported west of Hodeidah around the same time," it said.

Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi militants, who control much of Yemen, have launched wave after wave of exploding drones and missiles at commercial vessels since Nov. 19, in what they say is a protest against Israel's military operations in Gaza.

Ansarullah, a Houthi group, targeted a vessel in the Red Sea, a Yemeni military source told Al Jazeera on Tuesday.

The Houthi campaign has been extraordinarily disruptive to international shipping, causing some companies to suspend transits through the Red Sea and instead take the much longer, costlier journey around Africa.

The Houthis have vowed to continue attacks until Israel halts the conflict in Gaza, and warned that it would attack US warships if the militia group itself was targeted.

US Central Command said 18 drones, two anti-ship cruise missiles and one anti-ship ballistic missile were shot down by US and British forces.