U.S. fighter jets down Houthi-fired missile in Red Sea

U.S. Central Command said Houthi militants on Sunday fired an anti-ship missile at the Arleigh Burke-class USS Laboon destroyer in the Red Sea.

Jan. 14 (UPI) — U.S. fighter jets on Sunday intercepted an anti-ship cruise missile fired by Iran-backed Houthi rebels at a U.S. Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the Red Sea, the U.S. military said.

The incident happened at about 4:45 p.m. local time, U.S. Central Command said in a statement on X. The anti-ship cruise missile was fired from the Houthi-controlled Hudaydah coast of Yemen toward the USS Laboon as it was operating in the southern Red Sea.

No injuries or damage was reported.

The development comes after the United States and Britain last week conducted large-scale air strikes targeting the Houthi rebels in Yemen over their continued attacks on shipping vessels transiting the important trade route.

The Houthis have vowed to attack Israel-bound ships over the Middle Eastern country’s war against Hamas, another Iran-backed militant group. However, its attacks have since seemingly expanded to all vessels.

On Sunday, White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications told CBS News’ Face the Nation that they expect the Houthis to retaliate in response to last week’s attacks and that the Biden administration is watching the situation “very, very closely.”

“The Houthis have a choice to make here,” he said. “And the right choice is to stop these reckless attacks.”

Kirby said the Biden administration is not seeking conflict with the Houthis and the purpose of the allies’ recent attacks was to degrade its abilities to target shipping vessels.

The Red Sea shipping lane accounts for between 10% and 15% of global trade, and the recent Houthi attacks have seen at least 18 shipping companies reroute their vessels around South Africa, adding 10 days and additional costs to their journey.

U.S. Central Command said Saturday that there have been at least 28 Houthi attacks targeting shipping vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since Nov. 19.

The attacks have also been condemned by the U.N. Security Council, which passed a resolution on Wednesday demanding that the Houthi Rebels immediate cease their destabilizing behavior.

“We’re trying to get these attacks to stop,” Kirby said.