Yemen’s Houthi group announced Sunday that it targeted a US destroyer and three US-flagged merchant ships with 16 ballistic and winged missiles as well as a drone in a joint military operation in the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree in a statement said the strikes were “accurate and direct”.
Saree vowed that the group’s forces “will continue to carry out their military operations with escalating intensity in the declared maritime operational zone against Israeli and American enemies and will not stop unless the aggression ends and the siege on Gaza is lifted.”
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree named the three ships as the Stena Impeccable, the Maersk Saratoga, and the Liberty Grace.
There was no damage to the ships involved, the U.S. Central Command, said in a statement. There were no injuries, the statement noted.
There have been no comments at the time of writing this article from Washington regarding the Houthi announcement.
In a statement on Sunday, the U.S. Central Command confirmed a multiple Houthi strike on U.S. navy and U.S.-flagged merchant ships in the Gulf of Aden, adding that “the reckless attacks resulted in no injuries and no damage to any vessels.”
According to U.S. Central Command, destroyers USS Stockdale and USS O’Kane “successfully engaged and defeated three anti-ship ballistic missiles, three one-way attack uncrewed aerial systems, and one anti-ship cruise missile.”
“These actions reflect the ongoing commitment of CENTCOM forces to protect U.S. personnel, regional partners, and international shipping, against attacks by Iran-backed Houthis,” the command said in a statement.
CENTCOM in the press release, which was dated December 1, did not identify the civilian vessels that had been targeted.
