<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported Saturday that it shot down 14 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the Red Sea.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>"In the early morning hours of Dec. 16 (Sanna time) the US Arliegh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS CARNEY (DDG 64), operating in the Red Sea, successfully engaged 14 unmanned aerial systems launched as a drone wave from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen," it wrote on X.</div><div><br></div><div>"The UAS were assessed to be one-way attack drones and were shot down with no damage to ships in the area or reported injuries. Regional Red Sea partners were alerted to the threat," it added.</div><div><br></div><div>It said regional partners were informed about the threat.</div><div><br></div><div>Houthis target Israeli ships in the Red Sea</div><div><br></div><div>Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen announced Dec. 12 that the group targeted a Norwegian oil ship that did not respond to warnings and went to Israel.</div><div><br></div><div>The British Maritime Agency announced that a ship and its crew targeted in the Red Sea were safe.</div><div><br></div><div>Abdul-malik al-Houthi, the leader of the Houthis in Yemen, threatened in a television speech Nov. 14 that the group could target Israeli ships in the Red Sea.</div><div><br></div><div>Houthi military spokesman Yahya Seri announced Nov. 19 on X that the group would target any Israeli-flagged ship in response to Israel's attacks on the blockaded Gaza Strip.</div><div><br></div><div>Then, the Houthis launched a UAV and missile attack on two Israeli ships -- Unity Explorer and Number Nine in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.</div><div><br></div><div>Israeli shipping company, ZIM, said in a statement Nov. 29 that its ships would not use the Suez Canal in Egypt, citing the security situation in the Oman Sea and the Red Sea.</div><div><br></div><div>On Dec. 4, CENTCOM wrote on X that four attacks were carried out on three commercial ships in international waters in the south of the Red Sea.</div><div><br></div><div>It said the USS Carney destroyer in the south of the Red Sea responded to a call for help from commercial ships, and the destroyer shot down three UAVs that were advancing toward it while helping the ships. - Anadolu Agency&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>