NEW YORK, August 17. /TASS/. US military has destroyed an unmanned surface vehicle of the Yemeni Ansar Allah (Houthi) movement.

"In the past 24 hours, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) forces successfully destroyed one Iranian-backed Houthi unmanned surface vessel (USV) in the Red Sea," CENTCOM reported on the X social network.

After the escalation of the conflict in the Gaza Strip, the Ansar Allah movement warned that it would carry out strikes on Israeli territory and prevent ships affiliated with it from passing through the waters of the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait as long as the operation in the Palestinian enclave continued. Since mid-November last year, the Houthis have attacked dozens of civilian vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

In response to the actions of Ansar Allah, the US authorities announced the formation of an international coalition and the launch of an operation to ensure freedom of navigation and protect ships in the Red Sea.