Skip to main content

Yemen’s Houthis fire missile at US warship as Biden seeks China's aid

The Houthis targeted a US Navy destroyer with an anti-ship ballistic missile as Biden's top adviser was due to meet China's top diplomat in Thailand on Friday to discuss reining in the Yemeni faction's attacks.

Luke Dray/Getty Images
A ship, believed to be the French Navy's FS Jacques Chevalier heads toward the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait on Jan. 20, 2024 in Tadjoura, Djibouti. — Luke Dray/Getty Images

WASHINGTON – Yemen’s Houthi rebels fired another ballistic missile into the Gulf of Aden on Friday, targeting a US Navy destroyer, which intercepted the projectile, the US military said.

The USS Carney, which has repeatedly intercepted Houthi projectiles in the region in recent months, shot down the missile. No injuries or damage was reported.

The Houthis have launched dozens of missile and drone attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in recent weeks in what they say is a response to Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip.

The attacks have since narrowed in scope and frequency since two waves of US and UK air and naval strikes, with intermittent unilateral US strikes, kicked off on Jan. 11 to degrade the Houthis' weapons stockpiles and prevent launches.

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

Continue reading this exclusive analysis

Original reporting and analysis unavailable elsewhere. Subscribe to AL-MONITOR to read this story and access everything we publish