Yemen Houthis claim attack on US destroyer and commercial vessel in Red Sea
Iran-backed group says it fired missiles at USS Mason and assaulted ship named ‘Destiny;’ no immediate confirmation from US 5th Fleet
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Wednesday claimed they targeted a US Navy destroyer and a commercial ship in the Red Sea, but there was no immediate confirmation that any attacks took place.
Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said the rebels targeted the USS Mason with missiles and launched an attack on a ship he identified as the Destiny. Multiple vessels have that name in shipping registries.
The US Navy’s Mideast-based 5th Fleet did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Mason, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, has been in the Red Sea and the wider region as part of a US-led coalition trying to prevent Houthi attacks on shipping.
The Houthis say their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden are aimed at pressuring Israel to end its war against Hamas in Gaza.
The war began when the Palestinian terror group Hamas led a massive cross-border attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians. The 3,000 attackers who burst through the boundary with the Gaza Strip also took 252 hostages.
Israel responded with a military campaign to destroy Hamas, topple its regime in Gaza, and free the hostages of whom 128 remain in captivity, some believed no longer alive.
The Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, seized one vessel, and sunk another since November, according to the US Maritime Administration. Shipping through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has declined because of the threat.
Their campaign has prompted US and British reprisal attacks and the formation of an international naval coalition to protect the vital trade route.
Last week the Houthis threatened to extend their attacks to Israel-bound shipping to the Mediterranean.
