The attack on the destroyer USS Carney marked a further escalation in the biggest confrontation at sea the U.S. Navy has seen in the Middle East in decades.
Yemen’s Iranian-backed launched a missile Friday at a U.S. warship patrolling the Gulf of Aden, forcing it to shoot down the projectile, and also struck a British vessel as their aggressive attacks on maritime traffic continue.
The attack on the destroyer USS Carney marked a further escalation in the biggest confrontation at sea the U.S. Navy has seen in the Middle East in decades.
The anti-ship ballistic missile was fired at about 1:30 p.m. local time Friday from Houthi-controlled Yemen toward the USS Carney, U.S. Central Command reported. The missile was shot down by the Carney and caused no damage or injuries.
A little over six hours later, on Friday evening, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Operations, which oversees Mideast waterways, acknowledged a vessel had been struck by a missile and was on fire in the Gulf of Aden.
The anti-ship ballistic missile struck the M/V Marlin Luanda — which is British-owned but flies under a Marshall Islands flag — at about 7:45 p.m. local time, CENTCOM reported.
The ship was damaged, but no injuries were reported, CENTCOM said, adding that the USS Carney « and other coalition ships have responded and are rendering assistance. »
The attack on the Carney represents the first time the Houthis directly targeted a U.S. warship since the rebels began their assaults on shipping in October, a U.
