WASHINGTON: A US Navy warship shot down a missile on Friday that was fired at it by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis, who have carried out two months of attacks on international shipping.

According to the US military, US and British forces carried out two rounds of joint strikes aimed at reducing the Houthis’ ability to target vessels transiting a key maritime trade route and Washington has also launched a series of unilateral air raids, but the Houthis have vowed to continue their attacks.

“Iranian-backed Houthi militants fired one anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward Arleigh-Burke class destroyer USS Carney in the Gulf of Aden,” the US Central Command (Centcom) said in a statement on social media.

“The missile was successfully shot down by USS Carney. There were no injuries or damage reported,” Centcom said. The Houthis began targeting Red Sea shipping in November, saying they were hitting Israeli-linked vessels in support of Palestinians in Gaza.

The Yemeni fighters have since declared US and British interests to be legitimate targets as well.

Published in Dawn, January 27th, 2024