Mediaboss Marketing

Houthi rebels in Yemen fired anti-ship ballistic missiles at an American vessel in the Red Sea late Saturday, Pentagon officials said, as clashes between the Iran-backed militant group and U.S. forces heat up.

U.S. Central Command said that American personnel in the southern Red Sea destroyed a drone fired by the Houthis on Saturday, while another two Houthi drones crashed into the water.

Later Saturday, the Houthis fired ballistic missiles at the USS Gravely, an American destroyer.

The missiles were shot down with no damage to the ship or injuries to American troops.

CENTCOMs actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S., coalition, and merchant vessels, CENTCOM said in a statement.

The latest attacks by Yemens Houthis, who are financially and logistically backed by Iran, mark an uptick in whats been a months-long campaign by the group to disrupt commercial maritime traffic in and around the Red Sea. That campaign began last year after the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which is also backed by Iran.

The Houthis have said their operation is designed to punish Israel, but many of the ships targeted seemingly have no connection at all to Israel. They have also repeatedly targeted American military ships.

A U.S.-led military campaign has degraded much of the Houthis military capabilities, but it has not eliminated them entirely, and the group still appears to have plenty of attack drones and anti-ship missiles in its arsenal.

U.S. and British airstrikes in Yemen last Friday killed at least 16 people and wounded 42 others, the Houthis said, making it one of the deadliest strikes so far in the American-led anti-Houthi campaign.

U.S. officials told the Associated Press that the strikes targeted a wide range of underground facilities, missile launchers, command and control sites, a Houthi vessel and other facilities.

Saturdays attempted Houthi attack on the USS Gravely seems to be direct retaliation for those strikes. Hours before the Houthis launched their ballistic missiles, a top Houthi official warned of escalation.

The American-British aggression will not prevent us from continuing our military operations in support of Palestine, and we will meet escalation with escalation, and we will not stop except by stopping the crimes of genocide in Gaza and lifting the siege on its residents, Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti, who describes himself as a member of the Houthis political bureau, wrote on X.

Targeting civilian facilities such as radio, ports, and communications will not break the will of the Yemeni people, but rather increase their stability and solidity, he said.

Original post:
Iran-backed Houthis vow 'escalation,' fire missiles at U.S. warship in Red Sea; no Americans hurt - Washington Times