Royal Navy destroyer HMS Diamond and US warships and fighter jets shot down a barrage of drones and missiles fired at commercial vessels in the Red Sea, military chiefs said on Wednesday.
The attacks are believed to have been launched by Iran-backed Houthi rebels from Yemen.
HMS DIAMOND, along with US warships, has repelled the largest attack by the Iranian-backed Houthis in the Red Sea to date.
— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) January 10, 2024
Destroying multiple attack drones with her guns and sea viper missiles. pic.twitter.com/kFjFKj6TM6
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps tweeted: "HMS DIAMOND, along with US warships, has repelled the largest attack by the Iranian-backed Houthis in the Red Sea to date. "Destroying multiple attack drones with her guns and sea viper missiles."
One report suggested HMS Diamond shot down seven drones.
America, the UK and other allies have warned the rebels that they will act to stop the strikes on container ships, with attacks on their bases in Yemen believed to have been considered.
The West is seeking to avoid the Israel-Hamas war escalating into a broader Middle East conflict.
But the latest wave of attacks on container ships in the Red Sea may be a deliberate attempt by Iran to inflame the situation.
US Central Command said early on Wednesday morning: “ On Jan. 9, at approximately 9:15 p.m. (Sanaa time), Iranian-backed Houthis launched a complex attack of Iranian designed one-way attack UAVs (drones), anti-ship cruise missiles, and an anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen into the Southern Red Sea, towards international shipping lanes where dozens of merchant vessels were transiting.
“Eighteen OWA (one way attack) UAVs, two anti-ship cruise missiles, and one anti-ship ballistic missile were shot down by a combined effort of F/A-18s from USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), USS Gravely (DDG 107), USS Laboon (DDG 58), USS Mason (DDG 87), and the United Kingdom’s HMS Diamond (D34). “This is the 26th Houthi attack on commercial shipping lanes in the Red Sea since Nov. 19. There were no injuries or damage reported.”
The briefing added: “On Jan. 3, 14 countries, including the U.S, issued a joint statement stating, ‘The Houthis will bear the responsibility for the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, or the free flow of commerce in the region’s critical waterways.’”
Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron told MPs on the Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday that Houthi attacks in the Red Sea which had come in the wake of the Gaza conflict were "unacceptable" in one of the "most important sea lanes".
He said: "No-one wants to see escalation of conflict in the Middle East, but it is unacceptable to have the freedom of navigation affected in this way."
He said it was "important" to discuss the various factors behind the escalation in the key shipping route, but said it was "hard to know exactly why".
"They need to be told ... this is not a sort of free option, that consequences follow."
Meanwhile, a second Royal Navy warship is steaming towards the Red Sea to ensure Britain’s presence in the region.
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday afternoon: “HMS Richmond is on its way to the Red Sea to ensure the UK maintains a formidable presence in the face of attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthis.
“With the US, we’ll continue to lead the global response to the crisis & do what is necessary to protect lives and the global economy.”
HMS Richmond is on its way to the Red Sea to ensure the UK maintains a formidable presence in the face of attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthis.
— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) January 9, 2024
With the US, we’ll continue to lead the global response to the crisis & do what is necessary to protect lives and the global economy. pic.twitter.com/56N5PZTXyL
HMS Diamond is already in the Red Sea taking part in the US-led Operation Prosperity Guardian (OPG), protecting trade ships as they journey through the region and towards the Suez Canal and Europe.
HMS Richmond is being deployed to the Gulf region but will not join OPG.
But the type-23 frigate may do so if other military vessels have to go in for maintenance or if the task force was boosted in size.
HMS Lancaster, a squadron of three mine hunting vessels (HMS Bangor, HMS Chiddingfold, and HMS Middleton) and a Royal Fleet Auxiliary support ship (RFA Cardigan Bay) are also currently deployed in the region as part of the more permanent Operation Kipion.
HMS Richmond set sail from Plymouth on Friday to support the UK’s presence in the Gulf.
The ship is due to stand in for HMS Diamond when the destroyer, which has already intervened against attacks on vessels, needs to break off patrols to take on board supplies or undergo maintenance.
But the deployment is currently not seen as an escalation of the UK’s involvement in OPG.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s navy is preparing to join the American-led operation.
The attacks by Yemen-based Houthi rebels have targeted commercial shipping vessels transiting through the critical Bab el-Mandeb Strait that links markets in Asia and Europe following the October 7 attack by Hamas and Israel’s subsequent war against the terror group in Gaza.
Warships from the US, UK and France are already patrolling the area.
No date has been set for sending the Sri Lankan ships, and the area they will patrol has not been finalised, said navy spokesman Captain Gayan Wickramasuriya.
The decision to send the ships drew criticism from opposition politicians in the island nation.
Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa blamed the government for spending £610,069 to send ships to the Red Sea when Sri Lankans are experiencing severe economic hardships at home.
Defence minister Pramitha Tennakoon defended the move, saying the government wants to fulfil its “global responsibilities” and noting that “Sri Lanka is against any form of terrorism”.
He added that Sri Lanka would incur no additional costs by joining the operations, as the country’s ships are already patrolling its vast maritime area in the Indian Ocean.
Oil and fuel tanker traffic in the Red Sea was stable in December, even though many container ships have rerouted due to attacks by Iran-aligned Houthi militants, a Reuters analysis of vessel tracking data showed.
The attacks have driven up shipping costs sharply along with insurance premiums, but have had less impact than feared on oil flows, with shippers continuing to use the key East-West passage.
The Houthis, who have claimed they are targeting Israel-bound vessels, have largely attacked non-petroleum goods shipments.
The added costs have not made a big difference to most shippers so far because the Red Sea remains much more affordable than sending cargo around Africa.
Some oil companies like BP and Equinor are diverting cargoes to the longer route.
Michelle Wiese Bockmann, a shipping analyst at Lloyd’s List, said: “We haven’t really seen the interruption to tanker traffic that everyone was expecting.”
A daily average of 76 tankers carrying oil and fuel were in the south Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in December, the area close to Yemen that has seen attacks.
That was only two fewer than November’s average, and just three below the average for the first 11 months of 2023, according to data from ship tracking service MariTrace.
Rival tracking service Kpler tracked 236 ships on average daily across all of Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in December, slightly above the 230 daily average in November.
