Jan. 26 (UPI) — Houthi rebels based in Yemen launched an attack on a U.S. Navy ship in the Red Sea, the latest salvo in the ongoing conflict, U.S. Central Command confirmed Friday morning.
“At approximately 1:30 p.m. Sanaa time (5:30 a.m. EST), Iranian-backed Houthi militants fired one anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward Arleigh-Burke class destroyer USS Carney in the Gulf of Aden,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement.
“The missile was successfully shot down by USS Carney. There were no injuries or damage reported.”
The military did not provide any further information. However this would be the first reported time Houthis have targeted a U.S. military vessel rather than a commercial vessel.
The attack comes one day after the United States and Britain announced formal sanctions targeted at four Houthi leaders.
Houthis have vowed to continue attacking commercial shipping vessels passing through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, claiming those attacks are meant to block “transit of Israeli ships or those carrying goods to the occupied Palestinian ports.”
The Iran-backed group began hostilities Nov. 19, with more than 27 attacks against ships since that time.
American and British military forces have since launched a series of retaliatory missile and drone strikes in Yemen against the Houthi group.
More than a dozen shipping companies have rerouted their vessels to avoid being targeted.
