US Central Command said that at around 21:15 hrs local time on January 9, Houthi rebels launched a series of one-way attack UAVs, anti-ship cruise missiles and anti-ship ballistic missile from Yemen into the southern Red Sea. The attacks were “towards international shipping lanes where dozens of merchant vessels were transiting.”
In all, 18 one-way attack UAVs, two anti-ship cruise missiles, and one anti-ship ballistic missile were shot down by F/A-18 combat aircraft from carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower along with, warships USS Gravely, USS Laboon, USS Mason, and the UK’s air-defence guided missile destroyer HMS Diamond.
No injuries or damage were reported in what UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps called “the largest attacked from the Iranian-backed Houthis in the Red Sea to date.” Shapps said the attacks were heading towards HMS Diamond and merchant shipping in the area.
The UK announced yesterday that HMS Richmond is on the way to the Gulf to support HMS Diamond which is currently operating under Operation Prosperity Guardian, and HMS Lancaster which is on a separate mission fighting drug smuggling and arms trafficking in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea.
UKMTO carried multiple reports of Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) activity around 50 nm West of Al Hudaydah on January 9. “Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO,” it said.
The attack comes shortly after the Houthis said they would grant passage through the Red Sea to merchant vessels which declared using AIS that they had no affiliation to Israel. US Central Command marked this as the 26th Houthi attack on commercial shipping since November 19, 2023.
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