New Delhi: The United States on Sunday shot down three vessels operated by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels that had attacked a container ship in the Red Sea, the military said.
In a statement, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that after the Houthis fired on the US helicopters, they "returned fire in self-defense", sinking three of four small boats that had come within 20 meters of the ship, and killing the crews.
"The fourth boat fled the area," it added.
CENTCOM said the navy responded to a request for assistance from the Maersk Hangzhou. This Singapore-flagged, Denmark-owned and operated container ship reported coming under attack twice in 24 hours while transiting the Red Sea.
The vessel had earlier been targetted with two anti-ship ballistic missiles that the US military shot down.
Earlier on Thursday, the US intercepted a drone and an anti-ship ballistic missile launched by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels, reported news agency AFP. CENTCOM confirmed that the USS Mason (DDG 87), a guided-missile destroyer, successfully shot down both the drone and the anti-ship ballistic missile.
The US Central Command stated that none of the 18 ships in the vicinity suffered any damage, and there were no reported injuries.
As per an AFP report, these attacks pose a threat to a transit route through which up to 12 per cent of global trade is transported. In response to these attacks, the US had established a multinational naval task force earlier in the month to safeguard shipping in the Red Sea.
The latest round of the Israel-Hamas conflict began when the Palestinian Hamas group carried out a shock cross-border attack from Gaza on October 7 that killed about 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.