Yemen’s Houthi rebels fired a barrage of rockets and missiles at U.S. and U.K. forces in the Red Sea on Tuesday night in the group’s largest attack yet on ships in the region since conflict erupted in November.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said the Houthis launched the attack from Yemen at 9:15 p.m. local time in the southern Red Sea, sending a “complex” number of anti-ship cruise missiles, suicide drones and anti-ship ballistic missiles toward commercial and merchant ships transiting the corridor.
In the statement, CENTCOM said 18 suicide drones were shot down, two anti-ship cruise missiles, and one anti-ship ballistic missile were shot down by U.S. and U.K. forces.
The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, along with destroyer ships USS Gravely, USS Laboon, USS Mason and the U.K.’s HMS Diamond all responded to the attack.
There does not appear to be any damage to U.S. and U.K. forces or to the merchant ships they were guarding.
The Houthis said in a statement on Telegram that fighters targeted an American ship providing support to Israel.
The rebels said they will continue to “prevent Israeli ships or those headed to the ports of occupied Palestine from navigating in the Arabian and Red Seas until the aggression stops and the siege on our steadfast brothers in the Gaza Strip is lifted.”
The Houthis have attacked commercial ships 26 times since Nov. 19 in a campaign they say is targeting Israeli-based ships or boats en route to Israel.
Like other Iranian-backed groups, the Houthis say they are standing up for Palestinians as Israel fights a major war against Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza.
The U.S. last month convened a multi-nation task force under an existing maritime framework to defend merchant boats and combat the Houthi threat in the Red Sea, which has scared off major shipping companies and surged cargo prices.
The task force is being tested by the Houthis, who have refused to back down and are continuing the attacks in the Red Sea. For now, some major shipping companies are avoiding the Red Sea and are instead transiting around the Cape of Good Hope in Africa.