Yemen’s Houthi rebels launched a multi-pronged missile attack on two U.S. warships, but the Pentagon confirmed that the assault was successfully repelled.
On Monday, at least eight drones, five anti-ship ballistic missiles, and three cruise missiles were fired at the USS Stockdale and USS Spruance. Thanks to swift countermeasures, the ships shot down the incoming projectiles without sustaining any damage or casualties, Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Major Gen. Pat Ryder reported.
The attack came on the heels of U.S. airstrikes against Houthi weapon stockpiles in Yemen, and it occurred as the rebel group navigated the Bab el-Mandeb strait, a crucial passageway between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Yemen’s Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV claimed that airstrikes targeted the two U.S. warships and a third vessel in the Arabian Sea. Additionally, the group’s military spokesperson, Yahya al-Sarea, claimed the Houthis had “successfully” struck the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier with cruise missiles. However, Ryder stated that he had “no knowledge” of any such attack on the Abraham Lincoln.
The U.S. has made it clear that it will hold the Houthis accountable for these “illegal and reckless” actions. The Houthis, part of a broader network of Iran-backed militant groups in the Middle East that includes Hezbollah and Hamas, have ramped up their attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November 2023. They’ve sunk two ships, hijacked a third, and killed crew members, all while claiming to target only vessels connected to Israel, the U.S., or the UK—though such claims have often been unfounded.
In response to these growing threats, the U.S., UK, and 12 other nations launched Operation Prosperity Guardian to safeguard shipping lanes in the Red Sea. Earlier this year, the U.S. military targeted 15 Houthi positions in Yemen, aiming to curb their ability to strike maritime traffic.
