【Epoch Times September 28, 2024】US Department of Defense officials stated on Friday (September 27) that Houthi rebels in Yemen launched an attack on three US warships in the Red Sea on Thursday, but their missiles and drones were intercepted by the US Navy, and all three warships were undamaged.
A defense official told CNN that this was one of the largest attacks launched against American warships in the Middle East to date.
According to CNN, two Pentagon officials said that Houthi militants attacked two missile destroyers and a coastal combat ship in the Red Sea on Thursday, at a time when the three US warships were traveling north through the Bab al-Mandab Strait. This crucial waterway connects the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.
The two US missile destroyers involved were the USS Spruance and the USS Stockdale, while the coastal combat ship was the USS Indianapolis.
Houthi armed forces spokesperson Yehya Saree stated in a televised speech that their organization simultaneously attacked the three US destroyers in the Red Sea with 23 ballistic missiles, guided missiles, and a drone, while these vessels were en route to support Israel.
Saree also mentioned in another speech that the organization launched a ballistic missile at Tel Aviv, Israel, and sent a drone towards Ashkelon in southern Israel.
The spokesperson claimed that unless Israel ceases military operations in Gaza and Lebanon, the Houthi armed forces will not stop their attacks in the Red Sea.
A US official told Reuters that the three US warships were undamaged. The official refused to disclose their name, acknowledging that preliminary information may change.
Saree claimed the operation “hit the targets directly,” but two US defense officials, as reported by CNN, refuted this statement.
Since the start of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, Houthi armed forces have launched a series of attacks on US warships and commercial vessels, alleging some form of affiliation with Israel.