The HMS Diamond, considered the jewel in the Royal Navy crown, repelled once again a drone attack launched against the warship by the Houthi rebels.
A statement issued on January 28 by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) read: “Yesterday, HMS Diamond successfully repelled a drone attack from the Iranian-backed Houthis in the Red Sea.
“Deploying her Sea Viper missile system, Diamond destroyed a drone targeting her, with no injuries or damage sustained to Diamond or her crew.”
The statement went on to stress once again the UK is committed to protecting the freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, which the Houthis have been trying to thwart since November.
The message read: “These intolerable and illegal attacks are completely unacceptable and it is our duty to protect the freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.
“We want to thank the brave crew of HMS Diamond for their service to defend British and international interests.”
The Houthi movement, a rebel group from Yemen being militarily and financially backed by Iran, started terrorising commercial ships in the Red Sea in mid-November. That same month, they seized the Galaxy Leader vessel and took hostage its crew.
With the stated intention to show support to Gazans as the war between Israel and Hamas continues to rage, the Houthis have been disrupting one of the most important maritime trade routes in the world.
In December, several countries joined the US-led Operation Prosperity Guardian, which sees military ships flanking commercial vessels and trying to keep them safe from the Houthis as they cross the Red Sea.
As the group’s attacks did not relent, the US and the UK decided to launch this month a series of airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.
On January 11, Washington and London obliterated 60 military targets in Yemen during their first land attack against the rebels.
A second round of airstrikes came on January 22. The western allies’ missiles targeted a Houthi underground storage site and locations associated with the Houthis’ missile and air surveillance capabilities, according to a joint statement from the UK, US, Bahrain, Australia, Canada and the Netherlands.
Speaking about the strikes, UK Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron said: “What we have done again is send the clearest possible message that we will continue to degrade their ability to carry out these attacks while sending the clearest possible message that we back our words and our warnings with action.”
Lord Cameron added we “shouldn’t accept the Houthi narrative” that the rebels’ attacks are linked to the conflict in Gaza, a statement not accepted either by the government in Yemen.
