Yeman’s rebel Ansar Allah (Houthis) movement carried out 26 on vessels in the Red Sea since November 19, Tass reported citing the US Central Command (CENTCOM).

"On Jan. 9, <…> Houthis launched a complex attack of <…> one-way attack UAVs (OWA UAVs), anti-ship cruise missiles, and an anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen into the Southern Red Sea, towards international shipping lanes where dozens of merchant vessels were transiting," CENTCOM said on the X social network, formerly known as Twitter.

"This is the 26th Houthi attack on commercial shipping lanes in the Red Sea since Nov. 19," the statement says.

No injuries or damage were reported.

According to CENTCOM, "eighteen OWA UAVs, two anti-ship cruise missiles, and one anti-ship ballistic missile were shot down."

Earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Ansar Allah operations in the Red Sea affect the interests of more than 40 countries, disrupting almost 20% of the global maritime traffic.

After the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis claimed that they would launch strikes on Israeli territory and would not allow ships associated with it to pass through the waters of the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait until the operation in the Palestinian enclave stopped. Since mid-November, several commercial carriers and ships have been attacked in these waters from the territory controlled by the Yemeni rebel movement Ansar Allah (Houthis).

In response, the US government declared it was forming an international coalition and preparing to launch operation Prosperity Guardian to ensure the safety of navigation and protect ships in the Red Sea.