A U.S. destroyer patrolling in the Red Sea Saturday shot down two ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen while it was responding to a report that a commercial vessel was itself struck by a missile, U.S. authorities said.
Several hours later, an attempted attack on a U.S. container vessel occurred, with four boats making the attempt. U.S. forces responded by opening fire, successfully sinking three of the boats and eliminating their crews, as reported by U.S. Central Command. The targeted vessel, Maersk Hangzhou, a Danish-owned container ship flying a Singaporean flag, reported a missile strike in the Southern Red Sea at 8:30 p.m. local time. Fortunately, there were no injuries, and the ship remained operational.
During the response to assist the Maersk Hangzhou, the USS Gravely intercepted and shot down two anti-ship missiles originating from Yemen. These missiles seemed to be directed at both the USS Gravely and the USS Laboon, which were responding to the initial incident. The Maersk Hangzhou later issued a second distress call around 6:30 a.m. local time on Sunday, reporting that boats from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen fired crew-served and small arms weapons at the vessel. The small boats approached within 20 meters of the Maersk Hangzhou, attempting to board it, prompting a contract security team to return fire.
In response to the distress call, U.S. helicopters from the USS Eisenhower and Gravely arrived. While issuing verbal warnings to the small boats, the helicopters came under fire from the small boats. In self-defense, the U.S. Navy helicopters returned fire, sinking three of the four small boats and neutralizing their crews. The fourth boat fled the area. the Red Sea Saturday
It’s noted that the Iranian-backed Houthi militant group, controlling significant parts of Yemen, has been targeting commercial vessels in the Red Sea. This aggressive behavior has escalated since the invasion by Hamas terrorists in Israel on October 7, leading to widespread casualties and the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.