UK and coalition forces shoot down 28 Houthi drones over the Red Sea

The UK, US and French forces have shot down 28 Houthi drones over the Red Sea in the early hours of Saturday.

US Central Command said it had responded to a “large-scale” attack and coalition vessels and aircraft downed at least 28 drones in order to repel it.

UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said during the attack Royal Navy frigate HMS Richmond downed two drones with Sea Ceptor missiles.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) said the Type 23 frigate and international allies “fully repelled” the attack and no injuries or damage was sustained.

The Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November in what they say is a campaign of solidarity with Palestinians during Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

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

Mr Schapps also shared footage of the drones being shot down in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

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”.

French warship and fighter jets also shot down four combat drones that were advancing towards naval vessels belonging to the European Aspides mission in the region, a French army statement said.

“This defensive action directly contributed to the protection of the cargo ship True Confidence, under the Barbados flag, which was struck on March 6 and is being towed, as well as other commercial vessels transiting in the area,” it said.

France has a warship in the area as well as warplanes at its bases in Djibouti and the United Arab Emirates.

On Wednesday three seafarers were killed in a missile strike by the Houthis on the Greek-operated True Confidence, the first civilian casualties since the group started its attacks on the key shipping route.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) also confirmed there had been an attempted attack on the Singapore-flagged Propel Fortune.

It said the shipping company reported two explosions in close vicinity of the bulk carrier, but all crew on board were safe and the vessel was proceeding to its next port of call.

UKMTO said in a statement: “Based on sources, Propel Fortune was likely targeted due to outdated US ownership data.”

As a result of Houthi attacks, cargo ships have had their routes diverted, forcing them to travel 3,500 extra nautical miles around Africa at an estimated additional cost of $2m (£1.6m) in fuel and transit costs per trip.

Many of the merchant vessels targeted have had little or no link to Israel.

In in a bid to maintain the safe passage of vessels in the Red Sea the US and UK have this year been carrying out joint air strikes on the militant group’s facilities in Yemen including radar sites.

Yemen’s internationally-recognised government previously criticised the rebels for “dragging the country into conflict”.

In a statement issued through Yemen’s official news agency the government said the rebels are “creating a conflict for propaganda.”

It also called for the restoration of legitimate state institutions in Yemen to ensure security in the Red Sea.

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”.

Additional reporting by Press Association and Reuters.