American and British warships shoot down 15 attack drones launched from Yemen
US Navy and Royal Navy warships have shot down a total of 15 drones that are thought to have been launched against commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
The US Department of Defense and the Ministry of Defence believe the uncrewed aerial vehicles were launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen in the early hours of Saturday morning.
USS Carney, a US Burke-class guided missile destroyer, shoot down 14 of the UAVs, while HMS Diamond destroyed a drone with a Sea Viper missile.
There were no reports of damage to ships in the area or reported injuries to personnel.
This was the first time since the 1991 Gulf War that the Royal Navy hade been tasked with shooting down a threatening aerial target.
But this was not the first time the USS Carney had been forced to act.
Last month she shot down at least three Houthi drones that were heading in the ship's direction in the southern Red Sea.
News of the most recent attacks came just after US Defense Secretary Lloyd J Austin announced that the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford would be extending its deployment in the Mediterranean amid rising tensions in the Middle East.
As it stands, there are currently 19 US warships in the region.
Seven of these are in the eastern Mediterranean, while the other 12 are deployed down the Red Sea, across the Arabian Sea and up into the Persian Gulf.
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