The British Navy destroyer HMS Diamond shot down a missile allegedly fired by the Houthi rebels on Wednesday of Yemen against merchant ships in the Gulf of Aden in the Red Sea, according to the Ministry of Defense in London.
Defense has explained that HMS Diamond used its Sea Viper system to destroy the projectile, as part of its operation protection of civil vessels in the face of attacks by the Yemeni group, which says it targets ships linked to Israel and his allies.
Defense Minister Grant Shapps thanked the crew for their work in “saving innocent lives” and protecting shipping.
“The UK continues to be at the forefront of the international response to the dangerous Houthi attacks backed by Iran against commercial ships, which have claimed the lives of sailors” from several countries, he said.
Grant said this was the first time a Royal Navy warship had intercepted a missile in combat since the Gulf War in 1991.
Attacks from Yemen on one of the busiest shipping routes have affected global supply chains and especially to the distribution of oil, which increased its price and that of other raw materials.
