Two Navy destroyers were sailing through the strait between Yemen and Djibouti on Monday when they were attacked by missiles and drones fired by the Houthi rebels, the Pentagon said.
“While in transit, the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers Stockdale and Spruance were successfully attacked by at least eight unidirectional attack unmanned air systems, five anti-ship ballistic missiles, and three anti-ship cruise missiles. ‘And we were defeated,’ Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters Tuesday.
The attack on the ship was the latest act of violence in the region in recent months by Iranian-backed Yemeni rebels, who have been sent to the region to protect key trade routes. It targets not only the navy but also merchant ships. Ryder said the Navy and Air Force responded with a “series of precision air strikes” overnight.
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Ryder said the airstrikes targeted “several Houthi weapons storage facilities housing a variety of advanced conventional weapons” and “targeted U.S. and international military and civilian vessels sailing in international waters in the Red Sea.” Ta.
Navy officials told Military.com that the two destroyers used missiles to thwart the attack, and that the Navy’s contribution to the retaliatory strike also included F-35C Lightning II fighter jets.
U.S. Central Command hinted at the airstrike this morning in a social media post featuring various jets taking off from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and engaged in “operations against the Iranian-backed Houthis.”
News of the attack and retaliation comes days after U.S. troops in Syria were attacked by other Iranian-backed militias at the Green Village base.
Ryder said Sunday’s two attacks included unprovoked attack drones and indirect rocket fire.
The Houthis, through their spokesman Yahya Salih, claimed they had attacked Lincoln with numerous missiles and drones, but Navy and Pentagon officials said that was false.
“Contrary to some claims, there was no attack by the Houthis,” Ryder said.
Navy officials told Military.com that the Lincoln was not among the two destroyers at the time of the attack.
The attack appears to be the first time in recent weeks that U.S. warships have faced incoming missiles and drones, after a long period of danger that began in October 2023.
The last publicly acknowledged attack occurred in late September, when the destroyers Buckley and Cole launched more than a dozen interceptors as part of the U.S. response to Iranian missiles fired toward Israel.
During the attack, both the USS Spruance and the USS Stockdale, as well as the littoral combat USS Indianapolis, came under Houthi fire.
In May, as some of the ships that took part in the historic combat operations against the Houthis that began last year began to return home, the Navy awarded seven ships with the prestigious Combat Activity Ribbon for actions “under enemy fire.” It was revealed that the award was given to a warship.
However, both U.S. Central Command and the Navy have not yet completed combat operations or other engagements, with more than 20 engagements between October 2023 and April 2024, making it one of the nation’s most combat-experienced ship groups. refuses to provide most details. Modern Navy.
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