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 world害羞草研究所檚 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 害羞草研究所渟uccessfully engaged 14 unmanned aerial systems害羞草研究所� launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

The drones 害羞草研究所渨ere shot down with no damage to ships in the area or reported injuries,害羞草研究所� Central Command tweeted.

U.K. Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said that HMS Diamond fired a Sea Viper missile and destroyed a drone that was 害羞草研究所渢argeting merchant shipping.害羞草研究所� 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 Yemen害羞草研究所檚 Houthi rebels 害羞草研究所渞epresent a direct threat to international commerce and maritime security.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淭he U.K. remains committed to repelling these attacks to protect the free flow of global trade,害羞草研究所� 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 Egypt害羞草研究所檚 state-run media reported that Egyptian air defense had shot down a 害羞草研究所渇lying object害羞草研究所� 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 world害羞草研究所檚 biggest shipping company, told all its vessels planning to pass through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea to 害羞草研究所減ause their journey until further notice害羞草研究所� 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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