An Italian navy ship shot down a drone fired by Yemen's Houthi rebels and targeting a European cargo, the Italian defence ministry said in a statement on Monday.
The Italian "Fasan" frigate and the cargo it was escorting are proceeding southwards on their planned route to exit from the Red Sea © Mena Today
An Italian navy ship shot down a drone fired by Yemen's Houthi rebels and targeting a European cargo, the Italian defence ministry said in a statement on Monday.
The drone was intercepted "in the late morning" near the Bab-el-Mandeb strait at the southern end of the Red Sea, the ministry said.
It was flying toward the cargo ship and taken down while it was 5 kilometres (3.11 miles) away. It was similar to other drones used in previous Houthi attacks, it said.
The cargo was targeted by other drones and missiles, with one missile exploding in water near the commercial vessel, causing only superficial damage, the ministry said.
The Italian "Fasan" frigate and the cargo it was escorting are proceeding southwards on their planned route to exit from the Red Sea, the statement added.
Italy is part of an EU naval mission, dubbed Eunavfor Aspides, launched in February to protect shipping in the Red Sea, a major trade route.
Iran-backed Houthi militants have repeatedly launched drones and missiles against international commercial shipping in the area, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians against Israel's military actions in Gaza.
Reporting by Alvise Armellini
Ship traffic through Bab el-Mandeb fell on Sunday after Yemeni Houthis attacked Saudi oil installations along the Red Sea coast, while transit through the Strait of Hormuz stayed low over the weekend, shipping data from Kpler showed on Monday.
President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit the U.S. next week.
Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi militants fired on Saudi oil installations in two ports on the Red Sea coast on Saturday, but the United States held back from launching air strikes on Iran itself for the first night in two weeks.
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