Two U.S. Navy destroyers fought back this weekend against missile attacks aimed at American ships in the Red Sea.
“U.S. Navy destroyers USS Stockdale (DDG 106) and the USS O’Kane (DDG 77) successfully defeated a range of Houthi-launched weapons while transiting the Gulf of Aden, Nov. 30 — Dec. 1,” U.S. Central Command reported in a news release on its website.
“The destroyers were escorting three U.S. owned, operated, flagged merchant vessels, and the reckless attacks resulted in no injuries and no damage to any vessels, civilian or U.S. Naval,” the release said.
“The destroyers successfully engaged and defeated three anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs), three one-way attack uncrewed aerial 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.”
The Houthis began attacking Red Sea shipping last October as a show of support for Hamas as Israel began its attacks into Gaza. Since January, the Biden administration has launched multiple bombing strikes in areas of Yemen held by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, but it has not been able to halt the attacks.
The latest attacks came after the International Institute for Strategic Studies issued a report saying the time is right for a new policy against the Houthis.
