American forces on Saturday shot down more than two dozen drones launched by Houthi rebels in Yemen in one of the largest recent attacks by the Iran-backed group, Pentagon officials said.

U.S. Central Command said the Houthi drones were an “imminent threat” to commercial ships sailing through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

The drone assault came just days after the Houthis struck a commercial ship in the Red Sea, killing three seafarers, the first known fatalities of the Houthis’ terror campaign in the region.

CENTCOM said U.S. and allied forces successfully took down all drones fired by the Houthis, thereby preventing a repeat of last week’s deadly attack. In all, CENTCOM said it took down at least 28 attack drones during a frantic four-hour period.

“These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure,” CENTCOM said in a statement.

The Houthis have launched dozens of attacks on commercial ships in the region since Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel. Houthi leaders have said their campaign is retaliation toward Israel for its war in the Gaza Strip, though many of the ships targeted seemingly have no connection to Jerusalem.

The U.S. and Britain over the past several months have routinely struck Houthi-controlled positions in Yemen. But those strikes have clearly not eliminated the rebel group’s ability to target maritime traffic with drones and anti-ship missiles.

• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.