SANAA, Jan 16 (NNN-SABA) – The U.S. navy airforce shot down an anti-ship cruise missile, fired by the Houthis in Yemen, towards a navy battleship, the U.S. Central Command said in a statement, yesterday morning.
The missile, which was fired at approximately 4:45 p.m. (1345 GMT) on Sunday, towards a destroyer of the U.S. navy, operating in the southern Red Sea, was intercepted in the vicinity of the coast of Hodeidah, by U.S. fighter aircraft, said the central command, adding that, no injuries or damage were reported.
Nearly at the same time on Sunday, the Houthis claimed that a warplane of the U.S.-Britain maritime coalition hit a camp of the group, in northern Hodeidah port city. But U.S. officials reportedly denied the allegation.
The Houthis have escalated their attacks in the Red Sea, since the Israel-Hamas conflict flared up on Oct 7. They said, the attacks targeted Israel-linked commercial ships, in a bid to pressure Israel to end the conflict and siege of the Palestinian enclave of the Gaza Strip.
The Houthis seized much of the country’s north, forcing the Yemeni government out of the capital Sanaa, and the strategic Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.– NNN-SABA
