The United Kingdom's Ministry of Defense announced that the UK vessel HMS Diamond shot down a Houthi drone in the Red Sea on Saturday, as tensions in the Middle East soar amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
The MoD said that none of the crew suffered any injuries, and the HMS Diamond remained undamaged.
On Sunday, a ministry wrote on X, formerly Twitter, "Yesterday HMS Diamond successfully repelled a drone attack from the Iranian-backed Houthis in the Red Sea."
"Diamond destroyed a drone targeting her, with no injuries or damage sustained to Diamond or her crew," it added.
The Houthis did not immediately respond to a comment.
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said the UK remained "undaunted" following the attack by the Iran-backed rebel group. Shapps claimed that the government's commitment to protecting innocent lives and the freedom of navigation was "absolutely unwavering."
The MoD released a statement saying that these intolerable and illegal acts are completely unacceptable and that they must protect the freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.
According to a MoD spokesman, this is the third incident involving HMS Diamond since December. The first occurred on December 16, and the second on January 9.
Houthi Strikes in Red Sea
The Yemen-based group had previously vowed to hit Israeli-linked ships in the region in an attempt to put pressure on the country's government to stop bombing Gaza and allow additional humanitarian supplies to reach the coastal Palestinian enclave.
Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have seriously disrupted global commerce as the area is a key artery for marine trade.
Trade between Asia and Europe has slowed due to some of the biggest shipping corporations in the world ceasing operations in the area and transferring their cargo ships on a longer route around South Africa's Cape of Good Hope.
The US and the UK conducted several airstrikes against Houthi military positions, including missile depots and launching sites in Yemen, in response to the Houthi strikes on dozens of commercial vessels.
Furthermore, the US redesignated the Houthis as a "terrorist" organization, which was delisted by US President Biden in 2021.
The Houthis responded to the attacks by increasing the threat to any US and UK-linked ships in the region.
According to Al Jazeera, the Houthis have taken control of significant regions in northern Yemen since launching an operation against the government in 2014. The war forced internationally recognized Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his cabinet to flee to the southern port city of Aden, while it also triggered a brutal air bombing campaign led by Saudi Arabia.
A ceasefire has been in place since April 2022 as negotiations progressed between the Houthis and Riyadh over a permanent ceasefire.
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