A U.S. warship shot down 14 suspected attack drones over the Red Sea on Saturday, and a Royal Navy destroyer downed another drone that was targeting commercial ships, the British and American militaries said.

Houthi rebels in Yemen have launched a series of attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, one of the world91裸聊视频檚 busiest shipping routes, and have launched drones and missiles targeting Israel, as the Israel-Hamas war threatens to spread.

U.S. Central Command said that the destroyer USS Carney 91裸聊视频渟uccessfully engaged 14 unmanned aerial systems91裸聊视频� launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

The drones 91裸聊视频渨ere shot down with no damage to ships in the area or reported injuries,91裸聊视频� Central Command tweeted.

U.K. Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said that HMS Diamond fired a Sea Viper missile and destroyed a drone that was 91裸聊视频渢argeting merchant shipping.91裸聊视频� The overnight action is the first time the Royal Navy has shot down an aerial target in anger since the 1991 Gulf War.

Shapps said attacks on commercial ships in the global trade artery by Yemen91裸聊视频檚 Houthi rebels 91裸聊视频渞epresent a direct threat to international commerce and maritime security.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淭he U.K. remains committed to repelling these attacks to protect the free flow of global trade,91裸聊视频� he said in a statement.

HMS Diamond was sent to the region two weeks ago as a deterrent, joining vessels from the U.S., France and other countries.

Global shipping has become a target during the war between Israel and Hamas, which like the Houthis is backed by Iran.

Houthi rebels said they fired a barrage of drones on Saturday toward the port city of Eilat in southern Israel. The announcement came hours after Egypt91裸聊视频檚 state-run media reported that Egyptian air defense had shot down a 91裸聊视频渇lying object91裸聊视频� off the Egyptian resort town of Dahab on the Red Sea.

Earlier this month, three commercial ships in the Red Sea were struck by ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled Yemen, and a U.S. warship shot down three drones during the assault, the U.S. military said.

On Friday Maersk, the world91裸聊视频檚 biggest shipping company, told all its vessels planning to pass through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea to 91裸聊视频減ause their journey until further notice91裸聊视频� after a missile attack on a Liberian-flagged cargo ship.

Samy Magdy contributed to this report from Cairo.

Jill Lawless, The Associated Press

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