US Military Shoots Down 3 Houthi Drones Over Red Sea

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Houthis have been launching attacks on commercial and military vessels in the region for months, in response to Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip. The attacks prompted the United States to form a multinational coalition to protect shipping in the area, as well as to strike Houthi targets on the ground.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Sunday that the US forces shot down three drones launched by Yemen's rebel Ansar Allah movement, also known as the Houthis, over the Red Sea.

"Between approximately 4:30 a.m. and 4:45 a.m. (Sanaa time) on May 11, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) forces successfully destroyed three UAS launched by Iranian-backed Houthis over the Red Sea from Houthi controlled areas in Yemen," the command said on X, adding that personnel and merchant ships did not report damages or injuries.

In addition, on May 10, Houthis launched a drone over the Gulf of Aden, which was attacked by a coalition aircraft, the statement read.

"It was determined that these UAS presented an imminent threat to both coalition forces and merchant vessels in the region," the command added.

Moscow earlier slammed US aggression against Yemen.

"US airstrikes on Yemen are another example of the Anglo-Saxons’ distortion of UN Security Council resolutions and complete disregard for international law in the name of escalating the situation in the region for their own destructive purposes," Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on Telegram.