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- Two US Navy destroyers came under attack by the Houthis on Monday.
- The Iran-backed rebels fired a mix of anti-ship missiles and exploding drones.
- The US military defeated all the threats, a Pentagon spokesperson said.
On Tuesday, a spokesperson from the Pentagon announced that the US Navy successfully thwarted a sophisticated attack by the Houthis. The rebels launched multiple missiles and drones targeting two American warships near the Yemeni coast.
The USS Stockdale and USS Spruance encountered hostile fire while passing through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a crucial maritime bottleneck connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder revealed that the Navy successfully defended against numerous Houthi attacks. These attacks included the deployment of three anti-ship cruise missiles, five anti-ship ballistic missiles, and eight one-way attack drones.
Ryder confidently stated that they successfully engaged and defeated the attacks. He emphasized that the vessels remained undamaged and no personnel were harmed in the process.
Ryder claimed that he had no knowledge of any assault on the Lincoln.
Several hours after US Central Command released footage of fighter jets taking off from the Lincoln to “support operations” against the Houthis, President Biden made his announcement. It is unclear whether this footage is connected to the Monday attack on the destroyers or previous military actions against the rebels.
US forces conducted precise airstrikes on several Houthi weapons storage facilities in Yemen over the weekend, according to Ryder. The operation featured the deployment of F-35 stealth aircraft, as seen in Centcom’s footage.
The Houthis launched another attack on Navy warships off the coast of Yemen on Monday, targeting the destroyers. This incident is the latest in a series of Houthi attacks on the Navy. In late September, US forces successfully defended against a similar and complex assault involving missiles and drones.
The Navy has been actively intercepting Houthi missiles and drones that have been targeting military and commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden for the past year. The rebels claim that their actions are in response to the Israel-Hamas war.
On Sunday, there were two separate attacks targeting US personnel at Mission Support Site Green Village in northeast Syria. The attacks involved a drone and indirect rocket fire, according to Ryder. In response to these incidents, American forces conducted airstrikes the following day, targeting nine locations associated with Iranian groups.
According to Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, the Centcom commander, the Middle East will not tolerate any attacks against US and coalition partners.
In a statement regarding the US airstrikes, he emphasized that their priority remains safeguarding their personnel and coalition partners while also taking appropriate measures to counter irresponsible attacks.
