WASHINGTON, United States: The US military said on Tuesday it had shot down three drones and a missile fired at a warship in the Red Sea after Yemen’s Houthis said they had targeted two US warships.
The Iranian-backed Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea for months, and repeated attacks by the United States and Britain have so far failed to neutralize the threat to the vital trade route.
“US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces shot down one anti-ship ballistic missile and three one-way attack unmanned aerial systems launched from Iranian-backed Houthi controlled areas of Yemen toward USS Carney (DDG 64) in the Red Sea,” a statement issued by the US military command read.
“There are no injuries or damage to the ship,” CENTCOM further said and added that American forces later destroyed three anti-ship missiles and three naval drones in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saleh said the same day that Houthi forces targeted two American destroyers in the Red Sea with “a large number of naval missiles and drones.”
The Houthis will not stop until the invasion stops and the blockade imposed on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted, Saleh said on social media.
They began attacking ships in the Red Sea in November, saying they were attacking ships linked to Israel.
American and British forces responded with attacks against the Houthis, who subsequently declared US and British interests as legitimate targets.
Anger over Israel’s devastating operation in Gaza, which began after an unprecedented attack by Hamas on October 7, has spread across the Middle East, sparking violence among Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
