Two US destroyers intercepted Houthi missiles targeting merchant ships

The U.S. Navy intercepted a series of ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis from Yemen between Nov. 30 and Dec. 1. The missiles were targeted at the maritime convoy that U.S. warships were escorting at the entrance to the Red Sea.

According to U.S. Central Command, the destroyers USS Stockdale (DDG 106) and USS O'Kane (DDG 77) successfully carried out this mission in fulfilling their aims in the region.

Also per Central Command, the destroyers successfully shot down three anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs), three unmanned aerial unidirectional attack systems (OWA UAS) and one anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM), ensuring the safety of the ships and their personnel, as well as civilian vessels and their crews. No damage or injuries were reported.

The Houthi terrorists claimed the attack in a statement and said they had targeted the U.S. destroyers and "three supply ships belonging to the U.S. military in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden."

The Houthi rebels, who seized control of Yemen after a bitter war that began in 2016, are part of a range of terrorist organizations backed by Iran in the Middle East. Since the start of the Israeli operation in Gaza, the Houthis have kept up their attempts to block maritime traffic along the Red Sea.

Yemen controls in the Gulf of Aden the entrance to the sea and thus also the only route leading to the Suez Canal. Throughout the conflict, several merchant ships have been disabled by Houthi missiles.

In response, an international maritime mission provides security for the passage of merchant vessels. In addition, the U.S. has repeatedly struck Houthi warfare infrastructure in Yemen, with the aim of undermining their offensive capabilities.