The U.S. Central Command announced on Wednesday that on Jan. 9, at approximately 9:15 p.m. (Sanaa time), the Houthis launched a complex attack involving Iranian-designed kamikaze drones, anti-ship cruise missiles, and a ballistic missile from their Yemeni stronghold toward the Southern Red Sea, targeting international shipping lanes bustling with merchant vessels.
The audacious attack, comprising eighteen “one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicles” (OWA UAV)s, two anti-ship cruise missiles, and a singular anti-ship ballistic missile, was swiftly shot down thanks to a coordinated effort by F/A-18s from USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), USS Gravely (DDG 107), USS Laboon (DDG 58), USS Mason (DDG 87), and the United Kingdom’s HMS Diamond (D34). Notably, this marks the 26th assault on commercial shipping lanes by the Houthis since November 19.