US downs 14 UAVs over Red Sea: CENTCOM

By Serife Cetin

US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported Saturday that it shot down 14 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the Red Sea.

"In the early morning hours of Dec. 16 (Sanna time) the US Arliegh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS CARNEY (DDG 64), operating in the Red Sea, successfully engaged 14 unmanned aerial systems launched as a drone wave from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen," it wrote on X.

"The UAS were assessed to be one-way attack drones and were shot down with no damage to ships in the area or reported injuries. Regional Red Sea partners were alerted to the threat," it added.

It said regional partners were informed about the threat.

- Houthis target Israeli ships in the Red Sea

Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen announced Dec. 12 that the group targeted a Norwegian oil ship that did not respond to warnings and went to Israel.

The British Maritime Agency announced that a ship and its crew targeted in the Red Sea were safe.

Abdul-malik al-Houthi, the leader of the Houthis in Yemen, threatened in a television speech Nov. 14 that the group could target Israeli ships in the Red Sea.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Seri announced Nov. 19 on X that the group would target any Israeli-flagged ship in response to Israel's attacks on the blockaded Gaza Strip.

Then, the Houthis launched a UAV and missile attack on two Israeli ships -- Unity Explorer and Number Nine in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

Israeli shipping company, ZIM, said in a statement Nov. 29 that its ships would not use the Suez Canal in Egypt, citing the security situation in the Oman Sea and the Red Sea.

On Dec. 4, CENTCOM wrote on X that four attacks were carried out on three commercial ships in international waters in the south of the Red Sea.

It said the USS Carney destroyer in the south of the Red Sea responded to a call for help from commercial ships, and the destroyer shot down three UAVs that were advancing toward it while helping the ships.