US forces say they have intercepted a missile fired by Houthi rebels in Yemen at a US warship. The responsible regional command, U.S. Central Command said on Sunday that at around 4:45 p.m. local time, an anti-ship cruise missile was fired from Houthi territory in Yemen at the destroyer USS Laboon, which was sailing in the southern Red Sea.
The US military said the missile was shot down by a US fighter jet near the coast of the port city of Hodeida. There was no damage or injuries.
The USA and Great Britain bombed militia positions in Yemen on Friday night in response to weeks of Houthi attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea. They targeted almost 30 targets. The following night, the USA said it attacked a Houthi radar system. The Houthi militia spoke of further attacks at the weekend; However, the USA stated that it had not carried out any such attacks.
The Iran-backed Houthis launched their series of rocket and drone attacks in the Red Sea after the start of the war between Israel and the radical Islamic Palestinian organization Hamas on October 7th. The Shiite rebels see themselves as part of the self-proclaimed “Axis of Resistance” directed against Israel, which also includes Hamas. According to their own statements, the Houthi attacks target ships with connections to Israel.