Washington:
A US Navy warship on Friday shot down a missile fired at it by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who have carried out two months of attacks on international shipping, the military said.
US and British forces carried out two rounds of joint strikes to limit the Houthis' ability to attack ships traversing a key maritime trade route. Washington has also launched a series of unilateral airstrikes, but the Houthis have vowed to continue their attacks.
“Iran-backed Houthi militants fired an anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward the Arleigh-Burke-class destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) in the Gulf of Aden,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) said ) in a statement. on social media.
“The missile was successfully shot down by USS Carney. No injuries or damage were reported,” CENTCOM said.
The Houthis began targeting shipping in the Red Sea in November, saying they were hitting Israeli-linked ships in support of Palestinians in Gaza, which has been ravaged by the war between Israel and Hamas.
The Yemeni rebels have since also declared American and British interests as legitimate targets.
In addition to military action, Washington is trying to put diplomatic and financial pressure on the Houthis, redesignating them as a terrorist organization last week after previously dropping that label shortly after President Joe Biden came to power.
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