Cairo: US and French forces shot down dozens of drones in the Red Sea on Saturday after Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen targeted the bulk carrier Propel Fortune and US destroyers in the Gulf of Aden.
The Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea since November in what they say is a campaign of solidarity with the Palestinians during the war waged by Israel against Hamas in Gaza.
The group's military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said in a televised speech on Saturday that they targeted the cargo ship and “a number of American warship destroyers in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden with 37 drones.”
Houthi supporters take part in a march against US air strikes on Yemen and the Israeli attack on Palestinians on Friday. credit:
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said earlier on Saturday that US Navy ships and aircraft shot down 15 Houthi drones in the Red Sea region.
The US Central Command said in a post on the social media platform
She added that the drones are determined to pose “an imminent threat to US commercial, naval, and coalition ships in the region.”
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A French army statement said that a French warship and fighter jets also shot down four combat drones that were advancing towards naval ships belonging to the European Aspedes mission in the region.
She added, “This defensive measure directly contributed to the protection of the Barbados-flagged cargo ship True Confidence, which was bombed on March 6 and is being towed, in addition to other commercial ships passing through the area.”
