US and UK warships repel 'largest attack' by Iran-backed Houthis in the Red Sea, says UK defense minister
US Navy photo by Mass Communications Specialist 2nd Class Kerri Kline
- The UK's defense secretary said the Houthis launched their "largest attack" in the Red Sea to date.
- Grant Shapps said UK and US warships repelled "multiple" attack drones.
- The Houthis launched 21 drones and missiles on Tuesday, the US Central Command reported.
US and UK warships have repelled the "largest attack" by Iran-backed Houthis to date in the Red Sea, UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said in a statement on Wednesday.
Shapps said the UK's HMS Diamond warship, alongside US warships, destroyed "multiple" attack drones using guns and "sea viper" missiles.
No injuries or damage to the UK warship were reported, he said.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM), which had previously reported on the attack, offered more details on the military operation.
It said US warships and the UK's HMS Diamond shot down 21 drones and missiles that Houthi rebels had fired toward international shipping lanes on Tuesday night at 9:15 p.m. local time.
The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, USS Gravely, USS Laboon, and USS Mason repelled what was the 26th Houthi attack on commercial shipping lanes in the Red Sea since November 19, per CENTCOM.
There were no injuries or damage reported, it added.
Previous attacks by Houthi rebels included 14 drone attacks on December 16, 17 drone and missile attacks on December 26, and attempts to hijack a cargo ship on December 31.
But Tuesday's attack was the biggest the US has repelled in the region.
The attacks targeting commercial and merchant vessels in the vital Red Sea waterway have had economists worried about the massive disruption they could have on the world economy, with some warning of inflationary pressures.
AP
To prevent such a scenario, the Pentagon announced Operation Prosperity Guardian in mid-December 2023, a new multinational security operation designed to counter threats by Houthi forces against international maritime commerce heading or related to Israel.
More than 20 countries had joined the operation as of December 21, Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said at a Pentagon news conference at the time.
However, the operation was criticized as just a "Band-Aid" to an escalating problem by Brian Raymond, the executive vice president of client risk management at international security firm Global Guardian.
Raymond told Business Insider that shooting down drones and missiles won't cut it and that negotiations in the region should take place to "tamp down this activity."
"When does this get addressed in a meaningful manner? We just can't keep shooting things down that come off the eastern or the western side of Yemen," Raymond said, adding that "eventually something is going to happen that's much more catastrophic."
In his statement on Wednesday, the UK defense minister said that the UK, alongside its allies "have previously made clear that these illegal attacks are completely unacceptable, and if continued, the Houthis will bear the consequences."