International forces respond to drone reports in Red Sea: UK agency

According to a British maritime security organisation, international forces stationed to safeguard trade in the Red Sea were reacting to reports of drone activity near Yemen’s western coast early on Wednesday. The incident happened around 50 nautical miles west of the Yemeni port of Hodeida, according to the organisation United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). “Multiple reports of Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) activity,” UKMTO said in a bulletin. “Coalition forces are responding, no injuries or damage reported.” Iran-backed Huthi forces in Yemen have attacked targets in Israel and the Red Sea with more than 100 drone and missile launches since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas conflict, obstructing ships along the vital waterway. According to the rebels, they are supporting Hamas by launching attacks against Israel and boats connected to Israel in an effort to bring an end to the conflict in the Gaza Strip. On the other hand, the US Navy has stated that the ships that were attacked have ties to over 50 nations. A multinational naval task force was established by the US last month in reaction to the attacks to protect maritime interests in the crucial waterway, which accounts for up to 12% of world commerce. The war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas’s bloody October 7 attacks on Israel, which left around 1,140 people dead, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Vowing to destroy the group, Israel launched a relentless bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza that have killed at least 23,210 people, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.