A Royal Navy warship “successfully repelled” a drone attack by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea on Saturday, the defence secretary has announced.
Grant Shapps said the UK remained “undaunted” after the attack by the Iran-backed rebel group, adding that the government’s commitment to protecting innocent lives and the freedom of navigation was “absolutely unwavering”.
None of the crew were injured and the HMS Diamond was undamaged, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.
The ship shot the drone down using its own missile defence system.
It is not the first time the HMS Diamond has been targeted by the group.
It was forced to repel as attack earlier this month.
That attack is widely seen as triggering joint US-UK airstrikes on Houthi positions in Yemen.
The militants claim targeting ships linked to Israel as part of a campaign of support for Palestinians during the war in Gaza.
But this has been rejected by the UK and the US.
The MoD said: “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.”