Yemen’s Houthis fired an anti-ship cruise missile at a US destroyer in the Red Sea on Sunday in response to American and British strikes on bases in Yemen.
A US fighter jet shot down the missile, marking the first US-recognised firing by the Houthis since the United States and its allies began striking the militants on Friday after weeks of escalation in the Red Sea.
The Houthis, an Iranian-backed Shiite rebel group that seized Yemen’s capital in 2014, have targeted a shipping route through the Red Sea that connects Asian and Middle Eastern energy and cargo shipments through the Suez Canal to Europe.
On Sunday, the Houthis shelled the aircraft carrier USS LaBoon, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer operating in the southern Red Sea, according to the US military’s Central Command. President Joe Biden stated that he “will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary”.
According to the US, the Houthi missile was fired near the port city of Hodeida.
An anti-ship cruise missile was fired from Iranian-backed Houthi militant areas of Yemen toward USS Laboon. There were no injuries or damage reported.
On Friday, the US and the UK hit 28 sites and more than 60 targets with cruise missiles and bombs fired by fighter jets, warships and submarines, targeting weapons depots, radars and command centres. On Saturday, US forces struck a Houthi radar site.
