The US military said on Thursday it had shot down 11 drones belonging to Yemen’s Houthis after the group claimed it had targeted Israeli and American ships off the Gulf of Aden.
The US Central Command said on X, formerly Twitter, that its forces had shot down three drones launched from Houthi-controlled areas on Wednesday morning and eight drones later the same day.
“It was determined the UAVs presented an imminent threat to US, coalition, and merchant vessels in the region,” the statement said, using the acronym for unmanned aerial vehicles.
The latest Houthi attacks targeted two Israeli ships as well as an American commercial vessel and a US warship, the Houthis said in a statement.
“The ships were targeted with several suitable naval missiles and drones,” the statement said.
Houthis have launched dozens of missile and drone attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since November, leading to retaliatory strikes by the United States against Houthi targets in Yemen.
The Houthis say their actions are in solidarity with Palestinians during Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The US formed a multinational coalition in December to protect maritime traffic but has so far failed to prevent the attacks.
Houthi attacks on vessels passing through the southern Red Sea have choked trade through the Suez Canal, driving many container shipping companies to add 10-14 days to the voyages between Asia and Europe and add more vessels.
The Red Sea crisis has also put plans of some operators to replace aging fleets with newer more fuel-efficient ships on the backburner.