US military shoots down missile fired from Houthi-controlled area of Yemen

A U.S. fighter aircraft on Sunday shot down a missile fired from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen, amid the ongoing tensions between the U.S. and the rebel group, according to the U.S. military.

The anti-ship cruise missile was fired from Yemen towards the USS Laboon in the southern Red Sea before it was shot down near the coast of Hudaydah, Yemen, the U.S. Central Command said in a statement posted to X, formerly Twitter.

There were no injuries or damage reported, according to the U.S. Central Command.

The incident comes days after the U.S. and United Kingdom conducted a series of retaliatory strikes against the Houthi rebels in Yemen in response to the group’s ongoing attacks at vessels in the Red Sea. The retaliatory attack came in response to the Houthis’ largest attack last Tuesday, in which the group fired a barrage of rockets and missiles at the U.S. and U.K. forces in the Red Sea.

The Houthis claimed last Thursday’s strikes killed at least five people and wounded six others.

A day later, the U.S. launched a second spate of strikes against a Houthi radar facility in Yemen and threatened additional attacks if the Houthis do not back off from attacking commercial ships.

The Houthis quickly vowed to respond to the series of strikes, claiming the U.S. and UK’s actions “will not go unanswered and unpunished.”

The back-and-forth was sparked by the rebel group’s continued assaults against merchant and commercial vessels in the Red Sea as part of a maritime campaign to protest Israel’s bombardment of Gaza in its war with Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The Houthis claimed their attacks, which began in November, were targeting Israeli-linked vessels, but several ships with no clear ties to the Jewish State have been hit, provoking the ire of various other countries.

Major shipping companies have been forced to detour their shipping routes as a result, driving up oil prices and delaying delivery times.

A day later, the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution, sponsored by the United States and Japan, demanding the Houthis halt their attacks in the Red Sea. The resolution, approved by a 11-0 vote, condemned the rebel group’s attacks “in the strongest terms.”

A U.S.-led operation, called “Operation Prosperity Guardian,” began last month to try to deter the attacks, which total to at least 28 incidents since Nov. 29, the Central Command said last week.