Explosion in Red Sea: British destroyer repels attack while escorting merchant ship
Photo: A British destroyer repelled an attack while escorting a merchant ship in the Red Sea (twitter.com/grantshapps)
A British destroyer with a Sea Viper missile intercepted possibly a drone that was attempting to attack a merchant ship in the Red Sea, according to the UK Minister of Defense, Grant Shapps.
"HMS Diamond has shot down a suspected attack drone targeting merchant shipping in the Red Sea - destroying the target with a Sea Viper missile," wrote the Minister of Defense.
Currently, further details of the attempted attack are not disclosed.
What is happening in the Red Sea
Since November, there have been attacks by Yemeni Houthi rebels on merchant ships in the Red Sea, purportedly with connections to Israel. On their part, the militants support Hamas in their war against Israel.
At the end of last month, the Houthis seized the cargo ship Galaxy Leader with an international civilian crew sailing under the flag of the Bahamas. There was also an attempt to seize the tanker Central Park, but the American destroyer USS Mason intervened, saving the ship and detaining the attackers.
During the recent attacks, the Houthis:
- Launched a cruise missile from a land base at the commercial tanker Strinda, causing a fire and serious damage.
- Threatened to attack the ship MSC Alanya, which was heading north in the southern part of the Red Sea.
Meanwhile, the Danish shipping company A.P. Moller-Maersk has decided to suspend transportation through the Red Sea due to security threats.
