Houthi Attacks On US Warships After US Strikes In Yemen
The Pentagon announced it had thwarted a multiple missile attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on two US warships.
At least eight drones, five anti-ship ballistic missiles, and three anti-ship cruise missiles attacked the destroyers USS Stockdale and USS Spruance on Monday.
On Tuesday, Rear Admiral Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, told reporters that the ships dropped shells “without causing any damage and no injuries”.
The attack came after a series of airstrikes by the US Central Command on Houthi weapons storage sites in Yemen.
US bombers attack underground Houthi weapons bases in Yemen
The attack came as the Iranian-backed rebel group was crossing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Al Masirah TV, the main television news channel operated by Yemen’s Houthi movement, said the series of airstrikes targeted two US warships and a third warship in the Arabian Sea.
The group’s military spokesman, Yahya Al-Sari’i, said in a statement to Channel X that the rebels “successfully” bombed the USS Abraham Lincoln with multiple cruise missiles.
Redd said he was “unaware” of any attack on the Abraham Lincoln.
“We will continue to make it clear to the Houthis that there will be consequences for their unlawful and reckless attacks,” he added.
The Houthis are part of a network of Iranian-backed militant groups in the Middle East that include Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.
Since November 2023, they have repeatedly attacked merchant ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. They sank two ships, captured a third of the attacking vessels, and killed the crew.
They say they are working to support Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
They often falsely claim to attack only ships with links to Israel, the United States, or Britain.
Earlier this year, the United States, Britain, and 12 other countries launched Operation Prosperity Sentinel to protect Red Sea shipping lanes from Houthi attacks.
In October, the U.S. military said it had struck 15 Houthi targets in Yemen, and there were multiple explosions in the capital Sanaa.
He has previously said his goal is to weaken the Houthis’ ability to attack ships.
