DUBAI, May 15 – The U.S. navy’s destroyer the USS Mason intercepted an inbound Houthi anti-ship missile over the Red Sea on Monday, U.S. Central Command said in a statement, after Yemen’s Houthis said on Wednesday that they had targeted the warship.
The U.S. forces also destroyed two drones, Central Command said.
On Wednesday the Houthis said they had also targeted a vessel called “Destiny” in the Red Sea, as part of a campaign of attacks the Iran-backed group says it is carrying out in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.
A U.S. official told Reuters there was no evidence of an attack on Destiny in recent days. “Our reporting indicates that the vessel and crew are safe, with no issues,” he said on Thursday.
In a televised speech, the Houthis’ military spokesman Yahya Sarea had said they had targeted the USS Mason in the Red Sea with a number of “appropriate naval missiles”.
Sarea said they had also targeted Destiny because it had been en route for the Israeli port of Eilat on April 20.
Sarea did not specify the dates when the two ships were targeted.
Months of Houthi action in the Red Sea have disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa, and stoked fears that the Israel-Hamas war could destabilize the wider Middle East. A general decline in global commerce is also quite possible with the attacks and rising costs leading to a cautious approach by exporters.
The costs of intercepting the missiles is also much higher as compared to the cost of the rather simpler missiles and drones being used by the Houthis. Further, the Houthis have been able to continue with their attacks in spite of offensive action undertaken against them. Ukraine, the Gaza War, and related operations have brought to fore the versatility in use of missiles and drones. It has forced militaries to introspect and review their tactics in the face of these relatively new threats
(With inputs from Reuters)
Team Bharatshakti
