Navy ships shoot down ‘complex’ barrage of Houthi missiles and drones in Red Sea, Pentagon says

Navy ships shot down a barrage of missiles and drones launched by Houthi rebels from Yemen at the shipping lanes of the Red Sea, the Pentagon said Sept. 27, 2024. (Daniel Kimmelman/U.S. Navy)

Navy ships intercepted a Houthi barrage of missiles and drones launched from Yemen at the shipping lanes of the Red Sea, the Pentagon confirmed Friday, while also denying reports that any ships were hit in the attack. “We did see a complex attack launched from the Houthis that ranged from cruise missiles and [unmanned aerial vehicles],” said Sabrina Singh, deputy press secretary for the Defense Department. The Iran-backed Houthi claimed Friday to have damaged three U.S. Navy warships in a bombardment of 23 missiles and bomber drones. The Navy destroyers, the Houthis’ military spokesperson said in a televised speech, were targeted as they transited the Bab al-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea. The Bab al-Mandeb Strait connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, between Yemen.

“My understanding is that those were either engaged and shot down or failed,” Singh said, referring to the Houthi missiles and drones. No U.S. military ships were struck, and there were no injuries to U.S. service members, she also said.

The USS Abraham Lincoln and its carrier strike group are in the region. The strike group includes three destroyers: USS Spruance, USS Stockdale, and USS O’Kane. Singh on Friday declined to say whether the destroyers were the intended targets of the Houthi missiles. “We did what we had to do to protect our forces, and at the end of the day, no ship was hit — no damage and no injuries to our personnel,” she said. U.S. Central Command, which is responsible for military assets across the Middle East, and the Navy Office of Information confirmed the sea service intercepted the missiles but referred additional questions back to the Pentagon.