The Houthi rebels in Yemen fired an anti-ship cruise missile on 14 Jan, Sunday in the Red Sea in retaliation for the attack last week, but the missile was shot down by a US fighter plane.
Massive retaliation attacks against the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen were carried out on Thursday by US and UK military personnel utilizing fighter planes and Tomahawk missiles launched from warships. Since the Houthis began attacking foreign vessels in the Red Sea late last year, the attacks were the first military action taken by the US against them. Since America and its allies started attacking the rebels supported by Iran, this Sunday’s strike on January 15 is the first that the Houthis have recognized as their own.
Houthi rebels launch missiles toward a US vessel
Yemen’s Houthi rebels fired an anti-ship cruise missile at an American destroyer in the Red Sea, causing global shipping to be roiled amid Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. This marks the first US-acknowledged targeting by the Houthis since America and allied nations began strikes on the rebels following weeks of assaults on shipping in the Red Sea.
Besides, The Houthi rebel group, a Shiite rebel group allied with Iran, has targeted the Red Sea, a crucial corridor linking Asian and Mideast energy and cargo shipments to the Suez Canal and Europe. The Houthi fire targeted the USS Laboon, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer operating in the southern reaches of the Red Sea. The missile came from near Hodeida, a Red Sea port city long held by the Houthis.
The first day of U.S.-led strikes hit 28 locations and struck more than 60 targets with cruise missiles and bombs launched by fighter jets, warships, and a submarine. U.S. forces followed up with a strike on a Houthi radar site.
According to US claims, it downed an anti-ship cruise missile from regions under Houthi control
The U.S. military claimed on Sunday that U.S. fighter aircraft intercepted an anti-ship cruise missile that was fired against an American warship that was operating in the southern Red Sea from Houthi terrorist territory in Yemen.
The Houthis claim that their effort to defend Palestinians under Israeli blockade in Gaza is what led to the midair interception, which is the most recent episode in the Red Sea where they have attacked foreign trade. It comes after a string of airstrikes by the United States and the United Kingdom on Houthi sites in Yemen, which prompted warnings of a fierce retaliation from the militia with Iranian support.
According to a statement made by the U.S. military’s Central Command on the social networking site X, there were no reported casualties or damages in the most recent event. The Houthis had earlier on Sunday claimed that American planes had been spotted flying near Yemeni coastlines and airspace. Mohammed Abdulsalam, a spokesperson for the Houthis, called the actions of the “enemy” aircraft a flagrant breach of national sovereignty.
Reuters was unable to ascertain right away if the occurrences were identical. An email requesting further information regarding the interception was not immediately answered by U.S. Central Command.
