Missiles fired at US warships as Yemen rebel fighters launch Red Sea attacks
US WARSHIPS have been targeted by missiles fired from a rebelled-controlled region in Yemen.
REBELS launch MISSILES on US warship in Yemen
Defence officials said they were unable to give full details of the incident until all intelligence had been properly assesses.
But it is understood the ships came under fire while sailing in international waters in the Red Sea for the third time in a week.
None of the ships was hit and no US Navy personnel were injured in the attacks.
We will continue to defend freedom of navigation in this critical waterway and take necessary steps to respond to threats and defend our personnel and ships
US Navy commander Gary Ross said: “Earlier today a US Strike Group transiting international waters in the Red Sea detected possible inbound missile threats and deployed appropriate defensive countermeasures.
“Our sailors and ships are unharmed, and we are still assessing the situation. We will continue to defend freedom of navigation in this critical waterway, and we will take all necessary steps to respond to threats and defend our personnel and ships.”
If confirmed, the missile launches would be the third attack in about a week targeting the destroyer USS Mason and other US ships.
US ‘destroys three Houthi-controlled sites in Yemen’ in retaliation for attacks on Navy
Last week a US warship fired Tomahawk missiles into Yemen to destroy three radar sites that commanders believe were involved in two earlier attacks.
A senior official said the Mason was in international waters when multiple incoming surface-to-surface missiles were reported by the ship’s crew to have been detected about.
The Mason was not struck and no crew members were hurt. The official said different radars could have been used in Saturday’s reported attack.
The US Navy is on the region providing logistical support to a Saudi-led coalition battling an insurgency by Houthi rebels.
The bloody civil war has killed more than 6,000 people, injured more than 35,000 and forced at least three million to flee since military operations were launched last year.