U.S. Shoots Down 21 Houthi Drones, Missiles Launched In ‘Complex Attack’ On Shipping Lanes

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U.S. forces shot down nearly two dozen drones and missiles that were launched as part of a “complex attack” on international shipping lanes in the Red Sea this week.

U.S. Central Command said in a statement that the Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists launched the attack at approximately 9:15 p.m. local time on Tuesday, which included anti-ship cruise missiles, and an anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen into the Southern Red Sea.

CENTCOM said that the hostile projectiles were fired at areas where “dozens of merchant vessels were transiting.”

“Eighteen OWA UAVs, two anti-ship cruise missiles, and one anti-ship ballistic missile were shot down by a combined effort of F/A-18s from USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), USS Gravely (DDG 107), USS Laboon (DDG 58), USS Mason (DDG 87), and the United Kingdom’s HMS Diamond (D34),” CENTCOM said in a statement. “This is the 26th Houthi attack on commercial shipping lanes in the Red Sea since Nov. 19. There were no injuries or damage reported.”

A joint coalition that includes the U.S. issued a statement last week saying that the Houthis would “bear the responsibility for the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, or the free flow of commerce in the region’s critical waterways.”

The Biden administration has done little to nothing to deter the continued attacks from the Houthis or from Iran, which has launched direct attacks against merchant vessels in the Indian Ocean.