The "Central Command" of the U.S. military announced today, Sunday, that its forces engaged with six Houthi drones south of the Red Sea, destroying five of them. Central Command (CENTCOM) stated in a press release: "On March 23, the Iran-backed Houthis launched four anti-ship ballistic missiles in the Red Sea near the oil tanker (M/V Huang Pu), which is Panama-flagged and owned and operated by China."
The statement detailed, "At 4:25 PM (Sanaa time), a fifth ballistic missile was detected heading towards the Huang Pu ship. The ship issued a distress call but did not request assistance, and it sustained minor damage. A fire on board was extinguished within 30 minutes, with no reports of injuries, and the ship resumed its course. The Houthis attacked the vessel despite previously announcing they would not target Chinese ships."
The statement continued, "Between 6:50 and 9:50 AM (Sanaa time), U.S. forces, including the USS Carney, engaged with six Houthi drones over the southern Red Sea. Five of them crashed in the Red Sea, while one flew to Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen."
The statement concluded, "These drones were determined to pose an imminent threat to the United States, the coalition, and commercial vessels in the region, and actions are being taken to protect freedom of navigation and to make international waters safer for U.S. and coalition ships and commercial vessels."
