US defense officials said the US Navy shot down 24 Houthi missiles and drones launched from Yemen over the Red Sea.

CNN
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The US Navy shot down a total of 24 Houthi missiles and drones launched from Yemen, according to US defense officials, in one of the largest military operations. Houthi attacks Which will be held in the Red Sea in recent months.

The officials said that according to initial assessments, no ships were damaged in the attacks and there were no casualties as a result of the massive drone and missile launches.

One of the officials said that three destroyers participated in dropping the missiles. The United States has a number of ships in the Red Sea as part of Operation Prosperity Guardian, a multinational effort to protect shipping in one of the world's most important waterways. The coalition consists of more than 20 countries.

“We can confirm that a Houthi attack occurred today near the southern Red Sea. We will provide additional details when they are available,” a third defense official said.

It was not immediately clear whether the missiles and drones were launched simultaneously.

The launch comes with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken's visit to the Middle East in an attempt to contain the war in Gaza and prevent regional escalation.

It was Blinken In Israel on TuesdayHe told officials that Palestinians in Gaza should be allowed to return to their homes “as soon as conditions permit.” The Foreign Minister has repeatedly called on the Israeli government to reduce the number of civilian casualties as a result of the Israeli bombing of Gaza.

The Iranian-backed Houthis said that their launching of drones and missiles showed solidarity with the Palestinian people. The first series of attacks that began shortly after it began The war between Israel and HamasIt targeted commercial ships with some connections to Israel.

But most of the last 10 attacks had no connection to Israel at all, Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US Naval Central Command, said last week, even though that is drawing more countries into the situation.

The United States estimates that 55 countries have direct connections to the ships that were attacked, whether through the flagged status of the ship, the nationality of the crew, the origin and destination of the ship, or ship ownership.

“The impact of these attacks is spreading around the world, and as we said, this is an international problem that requires an international solution,” Cooper said.