US Navy shoots down Houthi missiles and drones launched from Yemen over Red Sea, officials say

The US Navy shot down 21 Houthi missiles and drones launched from Yemen, according to a statement from US Central Command, in one of the largest Houthi attacks to take place in the Red Sea in recent months. The military called it a “complex attack” carried out by the Iran-backed militants. The barrage, launched at about 9:15 p.m. Tuesday in Yemen, included 18 one-way attack drones, two anti-ship cruise missiles and one anti-ship ballistic missile, Central Command said. According to the statement, the attack was launched toward international shipping lanes in the southern Red Sea where “dozens” of merchant vessels were traveling. Two defense officials had earlier told CNN that the barrage included a total of 24 drones and missiles. There were no ships damaged in the attacks and no injuries as a result of the massive drone and missile launch, CENTCOM said. Three destroyers took part in the shootdown of the barrage, one of the officials said. Two US destroyers, as well as F-18 fighter jets from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier, participated in the combined effort to shoot down the missiles and drones, according to Central Command. The HMS Diamond, an air defence destroyer from the UK’s Royal Navy, was also part of the effort.
Source: axios.com