A UK destroyer has brought down a suspected attack drone in the Red Sea, defence minister Grant Shapps has said, amid rising maritime tensions in the region, AFP reports.

“Overnight, HMS Diamond shot down a suspected attack drone which was targeting merchant shipping in the Red Sea. One Sea Viper missile was fired and successfully destroyed the target,” Shapps said in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter.

HMS Diamond, a Type 45 destroyer, is conducting operations to ensure freedom of navigation, reassure merchant vessels and ensure the safe flow of trade, the defence ministry said.

The deployment followed the outbreak of conflict between Israel and Hamas and the seizure of an Israeli-linked cargo vessel by Iranian-backed Yemeni Huthi rebels in the Red Sea on November 19.