The guided-missile destroyer USS Gravely launches Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles in response to increased Iranian-backed Houthi malign behavior in the Red Sea Jan. 12, 2024. (Jonathan Word/U.S. Navy)
NAPLES, Italy — An anti-ship cruise missile launched this week from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen was targeting the Navy destroyer that shot it down, making it the second militant attack on a U.S. warship patrolling in the Red Sea in recent days.
At about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, USS Gravely shot down one missile over the Red Sea, U.S. CENTCOM said in a statement Wednesday. The ship wasn’t damaged and no one was hurt, officials said.
A Houthi military spokesman said the group took responsibility for Tuesday’s attack, adding that they had fired several missiles and would continue attacking U.S. and U.K. forces, The Associated Press reported Wednesday.
The attack followed a missile launch Friday by the Iranian-backed Houthi militants at the destroyer USS Carney in the Gulf of Aden. The ship destroyed the Houthi missile.
In other cases, defense officials say the Houthis have exaggerated their claims. The group said Monday that they targeted the expeditionary mobile base USS Louis B. Puller, also in the Gulf of Aden. The attack didn’t happen, according to the Pentagon.
The strike at USS Gravely comes as tensions in the Middle East continue and the U.S. prepares a response to a Sunday drone attack on a base in Jordan that killed three soldiers and injured dozens more.
Concerns also remain about the impact of Houthi attacks on international shipping in the heavily trafficked Red Sea.
Last week, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced the country would deploy six people as part of the U.S.-led Operation Prosperity Guardian to protect ships in the Red Sea. Most of the support for the mission thus far has come from NATO alliance members.
A European Union mission to protect Red Sea shipping is expected to begin in mid-February. The commission will decide Wednesday which country will lead the effort, Politico.eu reported the same day.
Italy and France, which already have military ships in the area, along with Greece are among front-runners to lead the mission, according to the Politico report.
The Houthis had launched 36 attacks on ships since Nov. 19 as of Monday, the Pentagon said.
Those attacks include an anti-ship ballistic missile that struck a Marshall Islands-flagged ship carrying a highly flammable liquid mixture in the Gulf of Aden on Friday. The strike caused a fire in one of the ship’s cargo holds.
USS Carney, along with French and Indian military ships, helped put out the fire.
The Houthis have said their attacks will continue in support of Palestinians and until there is a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. U.S. officials say the group is targeting vessels that have no connection to Israel.
