A British destroyer shot down a suspected attack drone in the Red Sea on Saturday, the Defence Secretary said.

The incident is believed to be the first time the Royal Navy has shot down an aerial target in anger since the First Gulf War in 1991.

Grant Shapps said it was believed the drone was targeting merchant shipping, in the latest such incident in the key global shipping route.

The Red Sea lies between north Africa and the Arabian Peninsula and connects the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean via the Suez Canal.

The HMS Diamond, the Type 45 destroyer that shot down the suspected drone, was sent to the region two weeks ago amid growing international concern about the threat to shipping.

“One Sea Viper missile fired and successfully destroyed the target”, Mr Shapps said in a statement on social media.

“The ship recently arrived in the region to bolster international efforts to maintain maritime security, he added. “The recent spate of illegal attacks represent a direct threat to international commerce and maritime security in the Red Sea. The UK remains committed to repelling these attacks to protect the free flow of global trade.”

Earlier this month, the US military said the Bahamas-flagged Unity Explorer, owned by a UK company, was among three commercial vessels targeted in an attack by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.

Maersk, the world’s biggest shipping company, on Friday told all its vessels planning to pass through the Bab-al-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea to “pause their journey until further notice”, after a missile attack on a Liberian-flagged cargo ship.

“One-sixth of the world’s commercial shipping passes through the Bab-al-Mandeb Strait and Red Sea. HMS Diamond deployed at short notice to the region from Portsmouth just two weeks ago and is already delivering effect together with our American, French and other allies and partners,” said the First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Ben Key.

“The Royal Navy is committed to upholding the right to free use of the oceans and we do not tolerate indiscriminate threats or attacks against those going about their lawful business on the high seas.”

The Ministry of Defence has not said who was behind the attack.