US coalition forces destroy two Houthi drones

SANAA: The United States military said on Friday that coalition forces “engaged and destroyed” two drones in Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen ater the rebels launched a ballistic missile into the Gulf of Aden.

The anti-ship missile launched on Thursday did not lead to any injuries or damage, US Central Command (CENTCOM), said in a statement on X.

Hours later, the US military “successfully engaged and destroyed one unmanned surface vessel (USV) and one unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen,” CENTCOM said.

Thursday marked the second consecutive day of atacks by the Houthis following a lull in strikes in recent weeks.

The rebels have launched dozens of missile and drone strikes targeting shipping since November.

Thursday’s missile atack targeted the Liberiaflagged cargo ship MSC DARWIN VI in the Gulf of Aden, according to the Joint Maritime Information Center, which is run by a Western-led naval coalition.

“The vessel was not hit,” the organisation said on Friday. The Houthis claimed the strike, alleging that the ship was Israeli-owned.

On Wednesday, the rebels atempted an atack on MV Yorktown, a Us-flagged shipping vessel, CENTCOM said.

The Houthi atacks have drawn reprisal strikes from the United States and Britain since January as well as the deployment of Western naval forces to counter strikes on ships plying the busy commercial routes.

Recently, a German warship ended its mission protecting merchant shipping from Houthi rebels in Yemen and departed from the Red Sea.

The frigate was part of the EU’S defensive naval mission Aspides and was deployed in the Red Sea in February to protect merchant ships from atacks by the rebels in Yemen.

The frigate, with a crew of 240 on board, completed the mission and let the area of operations, the Bundeswehr said.

The crew on the Hessen repeatedly shot down drones launched by the Houthis in the German Navy’s first mission of its kind.