Yemen’s Houthi rebels fired an anti-ship missile at an American destroyer in the Red Sea on Sunday, but US fighter jets shot it down in the latest attack to rock global shipping amid Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, officials said.
The attack marked the first US-acknowledged fire by the Houthis since America and allied nations began Friday’s assault on the rebels following weeks of attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
The Houthis have targeted that vital corridor linking Asian and Middle Eastern energy and cargo shipments to the Suez Canal and on to Europe over the Israel-Hamas war, an attack that threatens to widen the conflict into a regional conflagration.
The Houthis, the Iran-allied Shiite rebel group that seized the Yemeni capital in 2014, did not immediately acknowledge the attack.
It was unclear whether the US would respond to the latest attack, although President Joe Biden said he “will not hesitate to order further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international trade as necessary.”
A projectile fired during a military exercise is seen near the Yemeni-Saudi Arabia border in Al-Baqaa area in the northern province of Saada, Yemen, on January 11, 2024. HOUTHIS MEDIA CENTER HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Houthi fire on Sunday hit the USS Laboon, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer operating in the southern Red Sea, the US military’s Central Command said in a statement.
The missile came from near Hodeida, a Red Sea port city long controlled by the Houthis, the US said.
“An anti-ship cruise missile was fired from the Iranian-backed Houthi militia area in Yemen towards the USS Laboon,” Central Command said. “No injuries or damage were reported.”
Supporters of the Houthi group burn US and British flags during a protest against recent US-led attacks on Houthi targets, near Sanaa, Yemen January 14, 2024. REUTERS
The first day of the US-led offensive on Friday hit 28 locations and hit more than 60 targets with cruise missiles and bombs launched by fighter jets, warships and a submarine. Affected sites include weapons depots, radars and command centers, including in remote mountainous areas, the US said.
The Houthis have yet to acknowledge the extent of the damage from the attack, which they say killed five of their soldiers and wounded six others.
The US military followed up with a Saturday attack on a Houthi radar site.
A missile is fired from a warship during a US-led coalition operation against military targets in Yemen, aimed at Iran-backed Houthi militias that have targeted international shipping in the Red Sea, on January 12, 2024. via REUTERS
Shipping through the Red Sea has slowed because of the attack. The US Navy on Friday warned American-flagged ships to avoid areas around Yemen in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden for 72 hours after the initial airstrikes.
For their part, the Houthis claimed without providing evidence that the US struck a site near Hodeida on Sunday around the same time as the cruise missile fire.
America and the United Kingdom have denied carrying out any attack – suggesting the explosion may have been caused by a misfired Houthi missile.
Since November, rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea, saying they were retaliating for Israeli attacks in Gaza against Hamas.
But they often target ships with weak or unclear ties to Israel, endangering shipments on key routes for global trade.
While the Biden administration and its allies have been trying to defuse tensions in the Middle East for weeks and prevent any wider conflict, the attack threatens to spark one.
Saudi Arabia, which supports the Yemeni government-in-exile that the Houthis are fighting, has sought to distance itself from attacks on Houthi sites as it tries to maintain a delicate détente with Iran and an existing ceasefire in Yemen.
The Saudi-led and US-backed war in Yemen that began in 2015 has killed more than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians, and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters, killing tens of thousands more.
The US military did not specifically say the fire targeted Laboon, following a US pattern since the Houthi offensive began.
However, US sailors have received combat ribbons for their actions in the Red Sea— something only awarded to those in active hostilities with enemy forces.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
