US shoots down 6 Houthi drones in Red Sea: CENTCOM

WASHINGTON

The US said Thursday it shot down six Houthi drones in the Red Sea that was an "imminent threat."

"Between 4:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. (Sanaa time), on Feb 22, U.S. aircraft and a coalition warship shot down six Iranian-backed Houthi one-way attack (OWA) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in the Red Sea," CENTCOM said on X.

"The OWA UAVs were identified by U.S. Central Command as likely targeting U.S. and coalition warships and were an imminent threat," it said.

The military said hours later, between 8:30 a.m. and 9:45 a.m. local time, that the Houthis fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles from southern Yemen into the Gulf of Aden.

"The missiles impacted MV Islander a Palau-flagged, U.K.-owned, cargo carrier causing one minor injury and damage. The ship is continuing its voyage," it added.

The Houthis have been targeting cargo ships in the Red Sea owned or operated by Israeli companies or transporting goods to and from Israel in solidarity with the Gaza Strip, which has been under an Israeli onslaught since Oct. 7.

With tensions escalating due to the joint strikes of the US and UK against Houthi targets in Yemen, the group declared that it considered all American and British ships legitimate military targets.