US Warships Repel Houthi Missile, Drone Attacks in Red Sea
The Pentagon has confirmed that US warships came under sustained attack from Houthi fighters while transiting the Bab al-Mandeb strait on Tuesday, Al Jazeera reports.
The Houthi group claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that they targeted the US aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and two destroyers.
Pentagon spokesperson Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder confirmed the attack, stating that US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces successfully repelled “multiple Iranian-backed Houthi attacks.” The attack involved at least eight one-way attack drones, five anti-ship ballistic missiles, and three anti-ship cruise missiles, all targeting the USS Stockdale and USS Spruance, two US-guided missile destroyers.
General Ryder assured that all the Houthi drones and missiles were successfully engaged and defeated. He also confirmed that neither ship sustained any damage, and no personnel were injured. While the Houthi group claimed to have targeted the USS Abraham Lincoln, General Ryder stated that he was unaware of any attack against the aircraft carrier.
The Houthi group, which controls large parts of Yemen including the capital Sanaa, has been carrying out attacks on Israel-linked shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November 2023. They claim their actions are a show of solidarity with Palestinians. However, the group has also been accused of attacking commercial ships with no clear connection to Israel or its conflict with Gaza.
The Houthis have targeted more than 90 vessels with missiles and drones, resulting in the deaths of four sailors and the sinking of two ships. The crew of the Galaxy Leader, a British-owned and Japanese-operated carrier hijacked last November, remains detained in Yemen.
The Houthi group has demanded that Israel cease its war on Gaza in exchange for stopping the attacks, which have significantly disrupted trade in one of the world’s busiest maritime routes.
In response to the Red Sea shipping attacks, the US, with UK support, has carried out repeated strikes on targets in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. On Sunday, US and UK forces launched air strikes on Sanaa and the northern Amran governorate, targeting Houthi advanced weapons storage facilities. These attacks followed intensive US raids on Houthi targets, which saw B-2 strategic bombers participate for the first time, striking five underground weapons storage locations.
