The attack in Yemen by US forces occurred at 3:45 am local time on Friday.
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The escalation comes amid the biggest conflict at sea that the US Navy has seen in the Middle East in decades.
“U.S. Forces identified the missile in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, and determined it presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and the U.S. Navy ships in the region,” U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) wrote in an X post.
American forces said they successfully destroyed the incoming missile in “self-defense.”
“This action will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for US Navy vessels and merchant vessels,” CENTCOM wrote.
The preemptive action comes after Houthi rebels launched a missile at a US warship patrolling the Gulf of Aden earlier on Friday.
Houthi rebels based in Yemen have been linked to Iran’s Hezbollah terrorist group by American, British, and other intelligence agencies.
The incident was the first time that the Houthi rebels have targeted a warship since hostilities heated up over trade in October, according to AP News.
Brad Bowman, a senior director at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, said of the attack: “They’re now finally calling a spade a spade, and saying that, yeah, they’re trying to attack our forces, they’re trying to kill us.”
A ‘British’ oil tanker — the Marlin Luanda — also came under fire early on Friday.
Yahya Sarea, a Brigadier General of the Yemeni Armed Forces, said the rebels used “a number of appropriate naval missiles” in the destructive blast they say was on a British ship.
“Yemeni naval forces carried out a targeting operation on the British oil ship in the Gulf of Aden using a number of appropriate naval missiles, the strike was direct and resulted in the burning of the vessel,” he said.
The British military later acknowledged that a vessel had been struck by a missile and was on fire in the Gulf of Aden.
The Yemeni general continued noting the strike happened “in vindication of the oppressed Palestinian people and in support and solidarity with our brothers in the Gaza Strip”.
He then called for a ceasefire in Gaza and asked for food and medicine to be allowed in to help Palestinian civilians.
The British Marlin Luanda was hit by an anti-ship ballistic missile fired from Yemen, an American military official confirmed to AP.
Another anti-ship ballistic missile was shot down when it neared the USS Carney.
Houthi rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea since November, saying they were avenging Israel’s offensive in Gaza against Hamas.
American forces now say they are taking more proactive steps to prevent further conflicts with rebels in the region.
Who are the Houthis?
THE Houthi rebels are terrorising vessels in the Red Sea and now their bases were blitzed in US and UK strikes – but who are they?
The Shia militant group, which now controls most of Yemen, spent over a decade being largely ignored by the world.
However, since the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza war they sprung from relative obscurity to holding roughly £1trillion of world trade hostage – turning one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes into an active warzone.
Why are they attacking ships?
The rebel group has been launching relentless drone and missile attacks on any ships they deem to be connected with Israel in solidarity with their ally Hamas.
The sea assaults have threatened to ignite a full-blown war in the Middle East as ripples from Israel’s war in Gaza are felt across the region – with Iran suspected of stoking the chaos.
However, there have been frequent attacks on commercial vessels with little or no link to Israel – forcing global sea traffic to halt operations in the region and sending shipping prices soaring.
Houthi attacks in the Red Sea increased 50 per cent between November and December.
Their slogan is “Death to America, Death to Israel, curse the Jews and victory to Islam”.
And the rebel group’s leaders have previously pledged the attacks will continue until Israel stops its devastating offensive inside Gaza.
