The British warship the HMS Diamond thwarted the third reported attack last night in a month in the Red Sea.
HMS Diamond is a Type 45 Destroyer and was deployed to the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea to protect shipping from missile attacks from the Iranian backed Houthis militants based in Yemen.
On 15 December the Royal Navy destroyed an attack drone in anger for the first time since the first Gulf War in 1991.
The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the HMS Diamond “successfully repelled” a Houthis drone attack.
The Type 45 Destroyer fired a Sea Viper missile to shoot down the attack drone which was “illegally targeting” the HMS Diamond.
The MoD said in a statement on Sunday, “Yesterday, HMS Diamond successfully repelled a drone attack from the Iranian-backed Houthis in the Red Sea.
“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 Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said, “The UK remains undaunted after yesterday’s illegal attack on HMS Diamond by the Iranian backed Houthis.
“Our commitment to protect innocent lives and the freedom of navigation is absolutely unwavering.”
The 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.”
