UK says it downed Houthi attack drone in Red Sea

GENEVA

Britain on Sunday said that it had shot down a Houthi drone in the Red Sea that was poised to attack.

"Yesterday, HMS Diamond successfully repelled a drone attack from the Iranian-backed Houthis in the Red Sea," the British Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry said the drone had targeted the Diamond, a guided missile destroyer, and that the droned was destroyed without any injuries or damage.

"These intolerable and illegal attacks are completely unacceptable and it is our duty to protect the freedom of navigation in the Red Sea," it said.

It also thanked the crew of the HMS Diamond for their service to "defend British and international interests."

Tensions have escalated in the Red Sea amid Houthi attacks on commercial ships allegedly linked with Israel.

The Houthis said the attacks are to pressure Israel to halt its deadly onslaught on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 26,000 victims since an Oct. 7 cross-border offensive by the Palestinian group, Hamas.

Tensions have escalated in the Red Sea amid Houthi attacks on commercial ships that allegedly have links with Israel.

With US and British intervention and tensions escalating in January, the Houthis declared that they consider all American and British ships military targets.

Since Jan. 12, a coalition led by the US has been launching airstrikes to target Houthi sites in Yemen in response to their attacks in the Red Sea, which are occasionally met with responses from the group.