Coalition Forces Shoot Down 5 Houthi Drones over Red Sea as Struck Ship Begins To Sink
Five bomb-carrying drones fired over the Red Sea by the Houthi militia in Yemen were shot down by US and other coalition forces on Tuesday night, according to the US military’s Central Command.
The drones originated from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and “presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and to the US Navy and coalition ships in the region,” Central Command said in a statement.
The incident came after a rocket fired by the Houthis exploded near a Marshall Islands-flagged, Greek-owned cargo ship traveling through the sea. Another ship with a Panama flag and Emirati owners was nearby. A security firm reported that the first ship appeared to have been the target of the attack.
As the latest incident occurred, the Rubymar, a Belize-flagged, Lebanese-owned cargo ship struck by the Houthis on Feb. 18, began to sink after an oil slick 18 miles wide spread from it. Central Command warned that the ship’s cargo of fertilizer was in danger of spilling into the sea.
The Iran-aligned Houthis have been firing numerous missiles at ships in the Red Sea since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, claiming that they are supporting the Palestinian cause. The attacks have disrupted commercial shipping in the sea, an important route for world trade, and an international coalition has been formed to protect vessels traveling through it.
