The Yemeni rebel group launched an attack with drones and missiles, amid a planned UN Security Council vote to condemn their strikes in the vital shipping lane.
ADVERTISEMENTYemen’s Houthi rebels fired one of their largest-ever barrages against cargo ships in the Red Sea, authorities said on Wednesday.
US and UK navies shot down the projectiles in a major naval engagement.
No damage was immediately reported.
The attack is the latest escalation in the Red Sea - one of the world’s crucial trade routes - by the Iranian-backed rebel group.
It comes ahead of a planned United Nations Security Council vote later on Wednesday to condemn and demand an immediate halt to the Houthis assaults.
The group says their attacks are aimed at stopping Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza, claiming they would target Israeli or Israel-bound vessels in support of the Palestinians.
However, their assaults are increasingly targeting cargo ships which have no relation with Israel.
Houthi assaults in the Red Sea have filled fears the Israel Hamas war could escalate regionally - though observers say that this is something many, including Hezbollah, want to avoid.
Wednesday’s attack happened off the Yemeni port cities of Hodeida and Mokha, according to private intelligence firm Ambrey.
The US military’s Central Command confirmed the “complex attack” included bomb-carrying drones, anti-ship cruise missiles and one anti-ship ballistic missile.
It said that 18 drones, 2 cruise missiles and the anti-ship missile were shot down by F-18s from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, US Arleigh Burke-class destroyers - the USS Gravely, the USS Laboon and the USS Mason - as well as the British HMS Diamond.
“This is the 26th Houthi attack on commercial shipping lanes in the Red Sea since Nov. 19,” the US Central Command said.
“Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity," added the UK government.
The Houthis did not formally acknowledge launching the attacks. However, Al Jazeera quoted an anonymous Houthi military official saying their forces “targeted a ship linked to Israel in the Red Sea,” without elaborating.