WASHINGTON: American forces shot down three attack drones near commercial ships in the Red Sea and destroyed seven anti-ship cruise missiles positioned on land, the US military said.

Yemen`s Houthis have been targeting shipping for months and their attacks have persisted despite repeated American and British strikes aimed at degrading the rebels` ability to threaten a vital global trade route.

Early on Friday, US forces `shot down three Houthi one-way attack (drones) near several commercial ships operating in the Red Sea. There was no damage to any ships,` the Central Command (CENTCOM) said on social media.WASHINGTON: American forces shot down three attack drones near commercial ships in the Red Sea and destroyed seven anti-ship cruise missiles positioned on land, the US military said.

Yemen`s Houthis have been targeting shipping for months and their attacks have persisted despite repeated American and British strikes aimed at degrading the rebels` ability to threaten a vital global trade route.

Early on Friday, US forces `shot down three Houthi one-way attack (drones) near several commercial ships operating in the Red Sea. There was no damage to any ships,` the Central Command (CENTCOM) said on social media.In a statement later in the day, CENTCOM said the US forces destroyed `seven Iranian-backed Houthi mobile anti-ship cruise missiles that were prepared to launch towards the RedSea`.

It said those strikes, carried out between 12:30pm and 7:15pm Sanaa time, were made in self-defence.

`CENTCOM forces identified these missiles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined that they presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and to the US Navy ships in the region,` it said in a statement.

The day prior, American forces struck four Houthi drones as well as two antiship cruise missiles, CENTCOM said, addingthat the weapons `were prepared to launch from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen towards the Red Sea`.

The Houthis began attacking Red Sea shipping in November, saying they were hitting Israel-linked vessels in support of Palestinians in Gaza, which has been ravaged by the Israeli aggression.

The US and UK forces responded with strikes against the Houthis, who have since declared American and British interests to be legitimate targets as well.

Anger over Israel`s devastating campaign in Gaza has grown across the Middle East, stoking violence involving groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.-AFP