WASHINGTON: The US Central Command (CENTCOM) on early Friday said an anti-ship ballistic missile and a drone fired by Houthis on global shipping in the Red Sea were intercepted and shot down by a Navy ship.
CENTCOM in post on X, said the missile and drone were fired from Yemen between 5:45 – 6: 10 p.m. local time on December 28 and were brought down by the guided-missile destroyer USS Mason.
The post said there was no damage to any of the 18 ships crossing the area or reported injuries.
The USS MASON (DDG 87) shot down one drone and one anti-ship ballistic missile in the Southern Red Sea that were fired by the Houthis between 5:45 – 6: 10 p.m. (Sanaa time) on Dec. 28. There was no damage to any of the 18 ships in the area or reported injuries. This is the 22nd… pic.twitter.com/Y4JRS22850
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) December 29, 2023
According to the CENTCOM the attack was the 22nd by Houthis.
British and French warships have also shot down drones and missiles launched by the Houthis.
The U.S. is heading a new naval task force to protect commercial shipping and has blamed Iran for supplying weapons, financing, targeting and other assistance to the Houthis. However, Iran strongly denies these accusations.
The Houthis since November 19 have attacked dozen ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. They say that the attacks were in response to Israeli bombardment on Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, the U.S. on Thursday imposed sanctions on an individual and three currency exchange companies for their alleged involvement in facilitating the flow of Iranian financial assistance to the Yemeni Houthis.
