US Shoots Two Missiles Headed for Container Ship

December 30, 2023

The guided-missile destroyer USS Gravely (DDG 107) transits the Arabian Gulf, Dec. 5, 2023. (Source: US Navy)

The United States shot down two missiles headed toward a container ship in the southern Red Sea and launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen on Saturday, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said.

A Singapore-flagged, Denmark-owned/operated container ship reported that it was struck by a missile and the USS Gravely and USS Laboon responded to the ship, CENTCOM said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

While responding, the U.S. Navy destroyer Gravely shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, CENTCOM added.

The vessel is reportedly seaworthy and there were no reported injuries, CENTCOM said.

The Iran-aligned Houthis, who control much of Yemen, have disrupted world trade for weeks with attacks on ships passing through the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea in what they say is a response to Israel's war in Gaza.

This is the 23rd attack by the Houthis on international shipping since November 19, CENTCOM said.

(Reuters - Reporting by Surbhi Misra in Bengaluru; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)