US Navy shoots down missiles targeting American cargo ship

Houthi militants fired three anti-ship ballistic missiles Wednesday at an American-owned and operated cargo ship in the Red Sea, defying a U.S.-led military effort to prevent attacks on commercial shipping.

Two of the missiles aimed at the Maersk Detroit were shot down by the USS Gravely, a guided missile destroyer, and the third fell into the sea, according to a statement from U.S. Central Command.

The attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthis followed a joint strike Monday in Yemen by U.S. and Great Britain warplanes and ships. The Houthis have launched more than 40 attacks from Yemen since November in what they maintain is a reaction to Israel’s invasion of Gaza.

This latest incident comes as the U.S. and other nations labor to keep the Israeli-Hamas war from spreading across the Middle East. About 15% of the world’s commercial traffic uses the Red Sea route, and the Houthi attacks have been disruptive and costly.

Since Jan. 11, the U.S.-led coalition has damaged or destroyed more than 25 Houthi missile launch facilities, more than 20 missiles, radar sites and arsenals, Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, told reporters Tuesday.

Source » usatoday.com