Yemen’s Houthis on Saturday claimed a series of attacks on a US vessel and warships in the Red Sea, the latest in a spate of assaults by the Iran-backed group that have disrupted global shipping in the Red Sea.
The Houthi military spokesman Yehya Saree said the militia had attacked the Propel Fortune ship in the Gulf of Aden with naval missiles and targeted several US war destroyers with 37 drones in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
The Houthi claim came shortly after the United States said it and its allies Saturday had shot down 15 drones fired by the Houthis into the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Later in the day, Centcom released updated figures saying the "following further engagements through the morning, US and coalition forces downed a total of at least 28" drones between 4 am (0100 GMT) and 8:20 in the Red Sea.
The US Central Command said in a statement the drones posed an “imminent threat” to merchant vessels.
The US army earlier said they carried out a self-defence strike against the Houthis in Yemen on Friday.
Two Houthi anti-ship missiles mounted on trucks were the target, the Pentagon's regional command announced on Saturday on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. The incident occurred on Friday morning around 9:50 am (0750 GMT).
Houthi militias also fired two ballistic anti-ship missiles from Yemen at the MV Propel Fortune in the Gulf of Aden on Friday afternoon, the statement added.
The ship, which flies the Singapore flag, is also owned and operated by Singapore. However, the missiles did not hit the freighter. No injuries or damage were reported.
By firing at ships in the Red Sea, the militant Islamist Houthi rebels want to force an end to an Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip, which followed the attacks by Palestinian militant group Hamas in Israel on October 7 last year.
Due to the Houthi threat in the Red Sea, major shipping companies are increasingly avoiding the shortest sea route between Asia and Europe.
The alternative route takes several weeks longer and this is having a considerable impact on the global economy. The US and Britain have therefore repeatedly struck Houthi targets in Yemen.