US military shoots down Houthi drone over the Red Sea

The U.S. military shot down a Houthi drone over the Red Sea and destroyed another one on Yemeni soil. 

U.S. Central Command says the Iranian-backed group "launched two unmanned Aerial vehicles from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward the Red Sea" on Saturday morning before its forces "successfully engaged and destroyed one UAV," while the other is "presumed to have crashed into the Red Sea." 

"There were no reports of damage or injuries from ships in the vicinity," CENTCOM said, adding that it also "destroyed five unmanned surface vessels and one UAV in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen in self-defense" later Saturday night. 

"It was determined these weapons presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region," according to CENTCOM. "These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S. Navy and merchant vessels." 

TANKER CREW REPORTEDLY UNHARMED AFTER ATTACK BY YEMEN’S HOUTHI REBELS IN THE RED SEA 

Houthi supporters attend a rally, in Sanaa, Yemen, on March 8. 

The strikes come as the Houthis launched a suspected attack Sunday in the Gulf of Aden, with an explosive detonating near a ship, the Associated Press reported.

The British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) center said the vessel's crew saw the blast as it passed off the coast of Aden, the port city in southern Yemen home to the country's exiled government. UKMTO said there were no reports of damage to the ship or injuries. 

YEMEN’S HOUTHIS HAVE A HYPERSONIC MISSILE, REPORT CLAIMS 

Protesters, predominantly Houthi supporters, rally on the first Friday of the fasting month of Ramadan, to show continued support to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen, on March 15. (Reuters/Khaled Abdullah)

U.S. Central Command said on Friday that the Houthis also "fired three anti-ship ballistic missiles from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward the Red Sea." 

Those launches came a day after Russian state media reported that the Houthis have a new, hypersonic missile in their arsenal. 

The British-registered cargo ship Rubymar is seen sinking on March 3 after it was targeted by Yemen's Houthi forces while traveling in the Red Sea. ( Al-Joumhouriah channel via Getty Images)

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"The group’s missile forces have successfully tested a missile that is capable of reaching speeds of up to Mach 8 and runs on solid fuel," a military official close to the Houthis claimed, according to a report from the RIA Novosti news agency.  

The Associated Press contributed to this report.