The U.S. military said late Wednesday it destroyed eight drones in areas of Yemen controlled by the Houthi rebel group.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement that the drones “posed an imminent threat to U.S., coalition and commercial vessels in the area.”

Central Command also reported destroying three more Houthi drones early Wednesday, including two over the Gulf of Aden and one over the Red Sea.

The United States is leading a coalition effort to help protect key shipping routes through the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea from attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

The Houthis, designated a terrorist group by the United States, said their actions against the ships were in solidarity with Palestinians fighting in the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.