U.S. Warships Targeted by Houthi Attacks Off Yemen’s Coast

Missiles and Drones Intercepted Without Casualties three U.S. warships came under attack on Friday off the coast of Yemen, as Iran-backed Houthi rebels launched a barrage of missiles and drones. Fortunately, no injuries were reported among the sailors aboard the vessels.

The USS Stockdale, USS Spruance, and the littoral combat ship USS Indianapolis successfully shot down nearly two dozen incoming threats while navigating the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a critical passage into the Red Sea. Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh confirmed the complex nature of the assault, stating that “those were either engaged in, shot down, or failed.”

The USS Stockdale and USS Spruance are part of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group, which recently arrived in the Middle East from the Pacific. U.S. forces have been responding to Houthi attacks for nearly a year, which have increasingly targeted commercial and military vessels, particularly amid the ongoing conflict related to Israel and Hamas.

Since the attacks began following the October 7, 2023, incident in Israel, the number of commercial ships passing through the Red Sea has plummeted by 90%. In addition, U.S. military installations in Iraq and Syria have faced numerous assaults, with American soldiers also targeted in Jordan earlier this year.

In a statement following the attack, U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) condemned the Houthis’ actions as “nothing less than an act of war.” He criticized the Biden-Harris administration’s approach in the region, urging decisive action against the rebels.

The recent attack coincides with Vice President Kamala Harris’s claims during a debate that there were no active U.S. military personnel in combat zones. However, this assertion was made just days after U.S. commandos conducted a successful operation in Iraq.

The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft strike group returned to Norfolk, Virginia, in July after executing extensive military operations against Houthi targets in Yemen. Throughout these operations, U.S. forces fired 135 Tomahawk cruise missiles and utilized 60 air-to-air missiles to counter incoming threats.

Retired U.S. Navy Vice Admiral James Syring, former head of the Missile Defense Agency, emphasized the effectiveness of missile defense systems, noting that critics had long doubted their reliability. “It would be a much different conversation tonight had we not maintained our commitment to this mission,” he remarked, highlighting the successful interception of Houthi missiles and drones.

As tensions continue to escalate in the region, the U.S. military remains on high alert, prepared to respond to any further threats against its forces and allies.