U.S., British and French forces shot down 28 Houthi armed drones over the Red Sea

In the early hours of Saturday, U.S. and British forces shot down 28 Houthi drones over the Red Sea.

U.S. Central Command said it had responded to a “massive” attack, with coalition ships and aircraft shooting down at least 28 drones to repel the attack.

British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said the Royal Navy frigate HMS Richmond shot down two drones using Seamaster missiles during the attack.

The Ministry of Defense (MOD) said the Type 23 frigates and international allies “completely repelled” the attack, causing no casualties or damage to property.

The Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November in what they say is a campaign of solidarity with the Palestinians during Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

Shapps said: “The UK and our allies will continue to take necessary action to save lives and protect freedom of navigation.”

Mr Shapps also shared footage of the downed drone in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

The British Ministry of Defense said that the behavior of the crew of the Richmond was “exemplary” and that the British “stand firm and will take necessary actions to protect innocent lives and the global economy.”

French warships and fighter jets also shot down four drones that were advancing towards naval vessels belonging to the European Aspid mission in the area, a French military statement said.

“This defensive action directly contributes to the protection of the Barbados-flagged cargo ship True Confidence, which was hit and towed on March 6, as well as other commercial vessels transiting the area,” the statement said.

France has a warship in the region and warplanes based in Djibouti and the United Arab Emirates.

Cargo ships have been rerouted due to Houthi attacks, forcing them to travel an extra 3,500 nautical miles around Africa, costing an estimated $2 million (£1.6 million) in additional fuel and transit costs per journey.

Many of the merchant ships attacked had little or no connection to Israel.

In response to Houthi attacks and to maintain safe passage of ships in the Red Sea, the United States and Britain have been conducting joint air strikes on Houthi facilities in Yemen, including radar stations.

Yemen’s internationally recognized government has previously criticized the rebels for “dragging the country into the conflict.”

The government said in a statement carried by Yemen’s official news agency that the rebels were “creating conflicts for the sake of propaganda.”

It also called for the restoration of legitimate state institutions in Yemen to ensure the security of the Red Sea.

U.S. Central Command said U.S. and coalition forces took action after determining that a “large-scale unmanned aerial vehicle” attack “posed an imminent threat to commercial shipping.”

Additional reporting by press association.