A few attacks got through
USA reports drone shoots over Red Sea
February 20, 2024, 11:08 p.m
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Since December, warships from an international coalition led by the US have been trying to secure the trade route along the Yemeni coast. The USA is now announcing new successes. But the alliance has not yet been able to fend off all Houthi attacks.
Warships and air forces from the USA and its allies have again shot down drones over the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The US Central Command (Centcom) speaks of ten shootings off the coast of Yemen. A US destroyer neutralized an anti-ship missile that was fired in its direction. The US Army also destroyed a drone and a rocket launcher in Yemen on Monday, the Centcom statement said.
The French Navy destroyed two drones over the Red Sea. The two French frigates stationed there detected “several drone attacks from Yemen” on Tuesday night and then shot down two drones, the Defense Ministry in Paris said. “These actions contribute to maritime security from the Suez Canal to the Strait of Hormuz.”
A few attacks get through
France has deployed two frigates to the region: the Languedoc and the Alsace. According to the French Foreign Ministry, the “Languedoc” had already shot down two drones over the Red Sea in December. But the Western allies cannot fend off all attacks. On Monday, two anti-ship missiles hit the cargo ship “M/V Sea Champion”, owned by a US company and flying the Greek flag. There was minor damage. A drone also hit the cargo ship “M/V Navis Fortuna,” which is also owned by the US and flies the flag of the Marshall Islands.
The Iranian-backed Houthi militia in Yemen has been regularly attacking ships in the Red Sea since the war between Israel and the radical Islamic Palestinian organization Hamas began in October. The Houthis see themselves as part of the self-proclaimed “Axis of Resistance” directed against Israel, which includes Hamas and the Shiite militia Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Since December, warships from an international coalition led by the US have been trying to secure the route along the Yemeni coast, which is important for world trade. On Monday, the EU foreign ministers also decided on a naval deployment to protect the important trade route.