Royal Navy warship shoots down two drones in Houthi attack in Red Sea

A Royal Navy warship has shot down two drones during an attack by the Iranian-backed Houthi group in the Red Sea, the Defence Secretary has said.

HMS Richmond used missiles to bring down the unmanned aerial vehicles which were threatening merchant ships.

A total of 15 drones were shot down by coalition vessels and aircraft during attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The Houthis, based in Yemen, have claimed their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea are in response to events in Gaza.

The merchant vessels targeted have often had little or no link to Israel.

Grant Shapps said: “The UK and our allies will continue to take the action necessary to save lives and protect freedom of navigation.”

The attacks on vessels using the Red Sea have resulted in ships diverting around southern Africa rather than using the Suez Canal between Europe and Asia.

The detour adds to shipping costs and creates a potential global economic risk.

The Ministry of Defence said the Type 23 frigate and international allies “fully repelled” a Houthi drone attack with no injuries or damage sustained.

The MoD said Richmond’s crew acted in an “exemplary manner” and the UK was “unwavering in our position that we will take the action necessary to protect innocent lives and the global economy”.

The US Central Command said American and coalition forces acted after determining the “large scale uncrewed aerial vehicle” attack “presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels”.

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