US, French and Britain's military unite to shoot down Houthi drones amid ongoing Israel-Hamas war
Reuters. On March 9, CENTCOM informed that the military was responding to a large-scale attack on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden between 4 am and 6:30 am (as per GMT).
US Central Command in another post on X mentioned, “Between 4 a.m. and 6:30 a.m.
(Sanaa time), Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists conducted a large-scale uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) attack into the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. " Moreover, CENTCOM mentioned that the UAVs were intended to present “an imminent threat to merchant vessels, U.S.
Navy, and coalition ships in the region while claiming that actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure." A French army statement mentioned that a French warship and fighter jets shot down four combat drones that were moving towards naval vessels belonging to the European Aspides mission. The statement read, "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," reported Reuters.
Meanwhile, Britain's Ministry of Defence stated that its warship HMS Richmond had joined international allies in repelling a Houthi drone attack overnight and claimed that no injuries or damage were sustained. Defence minister Grant Shapps in a post on X said, "Last night, HMS Richmond used its Sea Ceptor missiles to shoot down two attack drones - successfully repelling yet another illegal attack by the Iranian-backed Houthis." Grant Shapps added, "The UK and our allies will continue to take the action necessary to save lives and protect freedom of navigation." (With inputs from Reuters)Milestone Alert!
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