US shoots down Houthi missile after strike on radar site
A US fighter jet shot down an anti-ship cruise missile fired toward USS Laboon in Southern Red Sea
Shooting down of missile on Sunday comes a day after a US strike on a Houthi radar site
The US shot down a Houthi missile on Sunday, the day after it struck one of the rebel group’s radar sites.
US Central Command said the anti-ship cruise missile was fired at about 1645 hrs Sana’a time from Houthi territory in Yemen toward its warship USS Laboon in the Southern Red Sea. A fighter jet shot it down near the coast of Hodeidah with no injuries or damage reported.
Centcom said USS Carney hit a Houthi radar site in Yemen with Tomahawk land attack missiles at about 0345 hrs on January 13. Centcom said that strike was a follow-up to its barrage on January 12, which was meant to “degrade the Houthis’ ability to attack maritime vessels including commercial vessels”.
Centcom said the strikes “have no association with and are separate from Operation Prosperity Guardian”, the multinational force it leads to defend ships in the Red Sea.
Reuters reported a Houthi spokesman said the January 13 strike caused no injuries nor “material damages”, and promised “a firm, strong and effective response”.
On Sunday, the United Kingdom Marine Trade Operations reported a suspicious approach 23 nautical miles northwest of Assab, Eritrea. Two small boats approached and hailed a merchant vessel, asking it to change course. The merchant ship called authorities and kept its course, and the two boats left.
Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi, the head of the Houthi supreme revolutionary committee, reiterated his previous statement on Monday, urging ships to declare no links with Israel to ensure safe passage through the Red Sea.
