Yemen's Houthi rebels said Wednesday they attacked a U.S. warship off the coast of Yemen, hours after the U.S. military said it had fired a missile there.
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The rebels fired “several appropriate naval missiles at the US destroyer USS Gravely in the Red Sea,” it said in a statement.
The US Middle East Command (Centcom) said earlier that an anti-ship missile was fired from Houthi-controlled areas toward the Red Sea at 11:30 p.m. Sanaa time (20:30 GMT) on Tuesday.
“The missile was launched from the USS Gravely (DDG 107). No injuries or damage were reported,” he added.
According to the Pentagon, the Houthis, who control large swathes of Yemeni territory, have carried out more than 35 attacks on ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since November 19, disrupting maritime traffic in this area important for international trade.
These Iran-aligned insurgents say they want to prevent Israel-linked ships from sailing off the coast of Yemen “in solidarity” with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which has been at war since October 7 between Israel and the Gaza Strip Hamas rules.
The United States, Israel's main ally, deployed warships in the Red Sea and carried out several attacks against rebel positions in January, sometimes in concert with the United Kingdom.
The Houthis reiterated on Wednesday that they would continue their attacks until the end of the war in Gaza.
“All American and British warships in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea that participate in aggression against our country (…) will be targeted under the right of self-defense,” they assured.