Missile aimed at US warship by Houthi rebels is shot down
Yemen’s Houthi rebels launched a missile yesterday toward a US warship patrolling the Gulf of Aden, forcing it to shoot down the projectile, officials said.
The attack marks the latest by the rebels in their campaign against ships travelling through the Red Sea and surrounding waters, which has disrupted global trade amid Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
An anti-ship ballistic missile came near the USS Carney, an Arleigh-burke class destroyer that has been involved in American operations to try and stop the Houthi campaign since November, the US military's Central Command said.
"The missile was successfully shot down by USS Carney," the statement said. "There were no injuries or damage reported."
The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels did not immediately acknowledge the attack, though they typically take several hours to claim their assaults.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations, which oversees Middle East waterways, earlier reported the attack as happening southwest of Yemen's port city of Aden.
The American statement again took pains to avoid saying the Houthis directly targeted the Carney, something that Washington has been doing since the attacks began in November.
The US and the UK have launched several rounds of airstrikes targeting Houthi missile depots and launcher sites in Yemen, a country that has been wracked by conflict since the rebels seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014.
Since November, the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea, saying they were avenging Israel's offensive in Gaza against Hamas.
But they have frequently targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, imperilling shipping in a key route for global trade between Asia, the Middle and Europe.
Since the airstrike campaign began, the rebels now say they will target US and UK ships as well.
On Wednesday, two American-flagged ships carrying cargo for the US defence and state departments came under attack by the Houthis, forcing an escorting US Navy warship to shoot some of the projectiles down.