A Royal Navy warship has shot down an attack drone suspected of targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea.
The HMS Diamond fired a Sea Viper missile and destroyed the drone overnight, the first time the Royal Navy has shot down an aerial target in anger since the 1991 Gulf War.
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Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said attacks on commercial ships in the global trade artery by Yemen‘s Houthi rebels “represent a direct threat to international commerce and maritime security”.
Global shipping has become a target during the war between Israel and Hamas, which like the Houthi, is backed by Iran.
The group has vowed to target vessels which it believes are heading to and from Israel and HMS Diamond was sent to the region two weeks ago as a deterrent.
“The UK remains committed to repelling these attacks to protect the free flow of global trade,” Mr Shapps said in a statement.
The Houthis have launched a series of attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, as well as launching drones and missiles targeting Israel.
Earlier this month, three commercial ships were struck by ballistic missiles and a US warship shot down a further three drones.
Pic: Ministry of Defence
On Friday Maersk, the world’s biggest shipping company, told all its vessels planning to pass through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea to “pause their journey until further notice” after a missile attack on a Liberian-flagged cargo ship.
Control of Yemen is split between the Iran-backed rebels and Saudi-backed government forces. The country has been locked in a devastating civil war in recent years, with reports a child dies every 10 minutes.
Analysis: Royal Navy ship active within 48 hours of arrival
The MoD has announced that overnight HMS Diamond shot down an attack drone that was targeting merchant shipping in the Red Sea. The Type 45 Destroyer is armed with Sea Viper missiles which successfully shot down the drone, in what we understand was the first time the Royal Navy has destroyed an aerial target since the Gulf War in 1991.
HMS Diamond is one of the most modern and capable ships in service with the Royal Navy, with stealth capability and the ability to track and intercept numerous targets concurrently.
HMS Diamond only passed through the Suez Canal on 14 December, so has seen action within 48 hours of arrival in the region.
Houthi rebels – funded, equipped and trained by Iran – are increasingly attacking merchant shipping in the Red Sea. The Houthis claim they are stepping up attacks in support of Palestinians in the Gaza war, and have been using a range of weapons – including ballistic and cruise missiles, helicopters and fast attack boats – to target Israeli ships or merchant vessels with links to Israel.
Merchant ships routinely pass through the Mediterranean and Red Sea via the Suez as a shortcut to the Gulf region, but the Bab Al-Mandab Straits are a choke point during this transit. The straits are around 20km wide and lie between Yemen and Djibouti, and passage through those straits leaves vessels vulnerable to attack from the shores; indeed, a sixth of world maritime trade passes through the region.
The US is looking to build a coalition of military capability to counter the growing Houthi threat.
