Sanaa, Aug 23 (IANS): The US Central Command said on Friday that its naval forces in the Red Sea had intercepted three bomb-laden drones launched by the Houthi group in Yemen.

"In the past 24 hours, US Central Command forces successfully destroyed two Iranian-backed Houthi unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) over the Red Sea and one UAV in a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen," it said in a post on the social media platform X.

"It was determined these UAVs presented a clear and imminent threat to the US and coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region," it added as quoted by Xinhua news agency report.

Early on Friday, the Houthi group claimed responsibility for attacking a cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden and the Greek-flagged MV SOUNION oil tanker in the Red Sea, using missiles, boats and drones.

Since November last year, the Houthis have been targeting Israeli-linked ships to show solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

In response, the US-British naval coalition stationed in the waters has conducted regular air raids and missile strikes against Houthi targets since January to deter the group.

The UAVs were identified as posing a clear and imminent threat to US and coalition forces, as well as merchant vessels operating in the region. CENTCOM took decisive action to eliminate these threats in order to protect freedom of navigation and ensure the safety and security of international waters for US, coalition, and commercial vessels.

The statement highlighted that the latest operation underscores the ongoing commitment of US forces to maintaining stability and security in the region amid heightened tensions with Iranian-backed groups.

The escalation comes amid an ongoing Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip, which has resulted in more than 40,000 Palestinian deaths following an attack on October 7 by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas that killed 1,139 people.