US Navy and UK Royal Navy shoot down 18 Houthi drones and 3 missiles

The U.S. Navy and the U.K.’s Royal Navy foiled a major Houthi attack Tuesday night in the Red Sea, shooting down 18 one-way drones and three missiles targeting commercial ships.

The incident began at around 9:15 p.m. local time when the Houthis launched "Iranian-designed one-way attack" drones, "anti-ship cruise missiles, and an anti-ship ballistic missile," Centcom said in a post on X. According to Centcom, the weapons were launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

The Houthi missiles and drones were targeting an area where dozens of merchant vessels were transiting, Centcom said Tuesday night.

All of the drones and missiles were shot down by fighter jets from Navy carrier the USS Eisenhower, three U.S. Navy destroyers and the U.K.’s HMS Diamond, according to Centcom.

Tuesday night’s attack marks the 26th Houthi attack on commercial shipping lanes since Nov. 19.

The U.S. issued a joint statement with a coalition of allies over the attacks earlier this month, saying, "The Houthis will 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."

In late December, the Pentagon announced the formation of Operation Prosperity Guardian, a multi-national maritime task force that would counter the Houthi attacks.

The American and British warships that countered this latest Houthi attack are all participating in that operation.