A failed missile attack from Iran-aligned Houthi rebel territory in Yemen targeted a US Navy guided missile destroyer, a US military spokesman said. Neither of the two missiles struck the ship.
It was the second such launch targeting ships after a United Arab Emirates vessel came under attack from Houthis a week earlier.
The botched missile attack on the USS Mason started about 7 pm local time, the US military said. That time, the ship spotted two incoming missiles in the Red Sea off Yemen’s coast over a 60-minute time frame.
Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said there were no damage to the ship and injuries to the sailors as both missiles hit the water before reaching the ship.
The United States and Saudi Arabia accuse Iran for providing weapons to the Houthis. Tehran denies it equips them with weapons but sees the Houthis as the rightful authority in Yemen.
Missile alley
A US defense official said the first missile triggered counter measures from the USS mason but the ship did not return fire. He added that the incident happened just north of the Bab al-Mandab strait off Yemen’s southern coast, the same general area where last weeks attack on a UAE vessel took place.
Davis emphasized a duty to preserve freedom of navigation and safeguard US forces. However it was uncertain what actions the US military might take.
He said that the US will continue to take all necessary steps to ensure that its ships and service members are safe.
The attack also came the same day that Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen’s powerful former president and key Houthi ally, summoned for an increase of attacks against Saudi Arabia.
A projected 10,000 people have died in Yemen’s war. The United Nations holds the Saudi-led coalition accountable for 60 percent of close to 3,800 civilian deaths since they began attacks in March.
The post Rebel-Held Yemen Fires Missiles On US Navy Ship appeared first on Newsline.
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