. The U.S. military said Sunday its forces destroyed one unmanned aerial vehicle in a Houthi rebels-held area of Yemen and another over a crucial shipping route in the Red Sea.
The drones, which were destroyed Saturday morning, posed a threat to U.S. and coalition forces and merchant vessels in the region, said the U.S. Central Command.
It said that one done was destroyed over the Red Sea, while the second was destroyed on the ground as it was prepared to launch.
“These actions are necessary to protect our forces, ensure freedom of navigation, and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S., coalition, and merchant vessels,” CENTCOM said.
The rebels started launching a campaign of drone and missile attacks on shipping in the Red Sea in November, describing their campaign as an effort to pressure Israel to end its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The Houthis have kept up their campaign of attacks despite more than two months of U.S.-led airstrikes.
Earlier this month, CENTCOM said its forces also destroyed four unmanned aerial vehicles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. It also said Houthis fired four anti-ship ballistic missiles toward the Red Sea, but no injuries or damages were reported by U.S., coalition or commercial ships.
The escalation in the Red Sea and the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza impacted the U.N.-led efforts to re-launch political talks to end Yemen’s years long conflict, according to the U.N. envoy for Yemen.
He warned that Yemen could be propelled back into war, saying that “the longer the escalatory environment (in the region) continues, the more challenging Yemen’s mediation space will become.”