A missile fired by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis at a US Navy warship was intercepted and shot down on Friday. The military stated that the Yemeni militants, who have been conducting attacks on international shipping for two months, were responsible for the incident.
A US Navy warship shot down a missile Friday that was fired at it by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militants, who have carried out two months of attacks on international shipping, the military said.
US and British forces have launched two rounds of joint strikes aimed at reducing the Houthis’ ability to target vessels transiting a key maritime trade route. Washington has also carried out a series of unilateral air raids, but the Houthis have vowed to continue their attacks.
“Iranian-backed Houthi militants fired one anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen towards the Arleigh-Burke class destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) in the Gulf of Aden,” the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.
“The missile was successfully shot down by USS Carney. There were no injuries or damage reported,” CENTCOM said.
Maritime monitoring agencies, meanwhile, said two missiles exploded in waters south of Yemen on Friday, though it was unclear if those reports were related to the incident announced by CENTCOM.
Risk monitor Ambrey said a Panama-flagged oil tanker “reported seeing two blasts” in the Gulf of Aden on Friday, a report that was corroborated by the British navy’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations. No damage was reported.
Ambrey said the missiles exploded about a mile from the India-affiliated oil tanker and 200–300 meters (650–1,000 feet) above the waterline. The UKMTO said they detonated in the water.
The attacks by the Yemeni group — which is part of the anti-Israel, anti-West alliance of Iranian proxies and allies — have disrupted trade in the Red Sea, which carries around 12 percent of international maritime traffic.
Khalil Wakim, with AFP
