Dubai — Two missiles fired from rebel-held territory in Yemen fell short of a US warship patrolling the Red Sea off the coast of the war-torn country, the US navy said Monday.
The USS Mason “detected two inbound missiles” within an hour of each other from around 7:00 p.m. (1600 GMT) on Sunday, said US Naval Forces Central Command spokeswoman Paula Dunn.
The destroyer had been “conducting routine operations in international waters” at the time, she said in a statement.
“Both missiles impacted the water before reaching the ship,” said Dunn, adding that “there were no injuries to our sailors and no damage to the ship”.
“We assess these missiles were launched from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen,” she said, referring to the Iran-backed rebels fighting Yemen›s internationally recognized government.
Also on Monday, the Arab coalition fighting the Houthis said the rebels fired a ballistic missile toward Taif.
The missile was one of two which the Saudi-led coalition intercepted on Sunday, the coalition said, adding the other was launched toward Marib, east of Yemen›s rebel-held capital Sanaa.
The incidents come after the United Arab Emirates said last Wednesday that Yemeni rebels struck a “civilian” vessel in the strategic Bab Al-Mandab waterway, wounding crewmen.
That attack, which was carried out on October 1, was claimed by the Shiite rebels.
The UAE is a key member of a Saudi-led coalition that has been fighting the Yemeni rebels since March last year.
Coalition warships have imposed a naval blockade on rebel-held ports along Yemen›s Red Sea coast allowing in only UN-approved aid shipments.
In its statement on Monday, the US navy said the United States remains “committed to ensuring freedom of navigation everywhere in the world”.
“We will continue to take all necessary steps to ensure the safety of our ships and our service members,” its spokeswoman was quoted as saying.
Warplanes from the Saudi-led coalition later attacked the two military bases where the missiles came from, the Saudi Press Agency reported late on Sunday.
