After ships from its coalition shot down 21 drones and missiles targeting ships in the Red Sea Tuesday night (local time), officials from the United States and the United Kingdom said that direct action against the Houthi rebels firing the weapons may be coming, the BBC reports. When asked about potential strikes, the UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said, “Watch this space.”
With the Suez Canal a vital shipping lane for trade between Europe and Asia, the Houthis targeting commercial shipping has worried shipping lines enough that 20% of normal traffic is re-routing around the area to avoid the risk of missile or pirate attacks.
One British and three US destroyers, as well as fighter jets from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier, shot down 18 drones, two cruise missiles and one ballistic missile, all of which were supplied to the Houthis by Iran.