A sign that the Houthi rebels still have resources despite the three series of joint attacks by the US and Britain against their military infrastructure in Yemen [liés à l’Iran] managed to shoot down a second MALE drone [Moyenne Altitude Longue Endurance] American MQ-9A Reaper in less than three months. Which the Pentagon confirmed.
“An American MQ-9 was shot down or crashed off the coast of a Houthi-controlled part of Yemen in the Red Sea,” Pentagon deputy spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said on February 21. “Initial indications suggest that it was shot down by a Houthi surface-to-air missile,” it added.
In addition, Yemeni rebels continue their almost relentless attacks on maritime traffic in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. In recent days they have targeted or even attacked several ships, including the bulk carrier Rubymar [qui a dû être abandonné par son équipage]Navis Fortuna and Sea Champion.
However, on February 21, American forces deployed under the direction of the US Centcom, Middle East and Central Asia Command, carried out new attacks against rocket launchers and drones that were about to be used by the Houthis. And to declare that such measures “protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer for the U.S. Navy and merchant vessels.”
British maritime trading operations began just a few hours later [UKMTO] The Royal Navy reported a fire on board another unidentified boat that was hit by at least one missile. Was it the MV Islander, a Palau-flagged United Kingdom cargo ship?
Regardless, the Houthis launched a wave of “suicide drones” 24 hours after the recent US strikes. [ou munitions téléopérées]. According to the US Centcom, it was quickly determined that they were likely to attack US Navy and coalition ships. [Gardien de la prospérité].
Feb 22 Red Sea update
Between 4:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. aircraft and a coalition warship shot down six Iranian-backed Houthi unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the Red Sea on February 22 using one-way attack (OWA). . The OWA UAVs were identified by US Central Command as… pic.twitter.com/39ykkxv8RE
– US Central Command (@CENTCOM) February 22, 2024
“Between 4:30 and 5:30. [heure de Sanaa]“On February 22, US aircraft and a coalition warship shot down six Houthi drones,” US Centcom said, without providing further details.
As Vice Admiral Emmanuel Slaars, commander of the Indian Ocean maritime zone, recently explained [ALINDIEN] and French forces stationed in the United Arab Emirates [FFEAU]The French Navy and the US Navy have agreed on an “intelligent geographical distribution of efforts” and are sharing their information. Was the US Centcom French “coalition ship” mentioned?
Definitely a frigate with multiple missions at the same time [FREMM] The National Navy discovered two aerial drones on patrol in the south of the Red Sea that “came from Yemen” and engaged in “threatening maneuvers to themselves, to commercial traffic and to partner naval forces,” the Armed Forces General Staff said. The French ship “then attacked and destroyed the two combat drones,” he added. “These defensive measures contribute to regional maritime security from the Suez Canal to the Strait of Hormuz and contribute to the defense of freedom of navigation in accordance with international law,” he concluded.
As a reminder, the French Navy has the FREMM Languedoc and the FREMM with enhanced air defense capacity Alsace. However, no details were provided about who used these two drones. We only know from the images broadcast that Aster 15 surface-to-air missiles were used [voir photo ci-dessus].
This is the second time in 48 hours that the French Navy has shot down drones launched from Yemen. On February 20, the Defense Ministry said that the two French frigates had discovered and destroyed these devices “in their respective patrol zones in the Gulf of Aden and the south of the Red Sea.” And to explain that this action contributed “to the defense of freedom of navigation, the objective of Operation EUNAVFOR Aspides”, which had just been officially launched by the European Union. Note that this is not mentioned in the latest press release he just released.