US Navy Destroyer Comes under Missile Attack off Yemen Coast: Pentagon
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Two missiles fired from the Yemeni shore targeted a US Navy guided missile destroyer, a Pentagon spokesman has said. The rockets, which failed to hit the ship, allegedly came from territory controlled by Houthi movement.
“USS Mason detected two inbound missiles over a 60-minute period while in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen. Both missiles impacted the water before reaching the ship,” Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said.
Duff said that there were “no injuries to our sailors and no damage to the ship.”
He reportedly said the failed attack originated in an area controlled by Houthis, who are being targeted in airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition.
The Saudis have been supporting the fugitive former government of Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, who was ousted in a popular revolution in November 2014.
The reported attack comes a day after the White House announced an “immediate” review of US support for the Saudi-led coalition, after a funeral hall bombing in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, left over 150 people dead on Saturday, according to Russia Today.
US Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday expressed Washington's “deep concern” about the bombing, and welcomed Saudi Arabian Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman's “commitment to launch a thorough and immediate investigation of the strike, and urged him to take urgent steps to ensure such an incident does not happen again,” according to a US statement.
Kerry added he still supports Riyadh's demand for Houthis to "pull back weapons from Saudi Arabia's border and respect its territorial integrity," saying he appreciates Riyadh's "support" for a start of the UN-led negotiations with the Houthis.
The Saturday attack on the funeral hall in Sana’a prompted tens of thousands of protesters to take to the streets of the Yemeni capital, with many upset at the inaction of the international community when it comes to the Saudi-led coalition's actions in Yemen.
The US, along with other Western nations including the UK and France, has been contributing both intelligence and weapons to the Saudi campaign in Yemen.
Washington has offered Riyadh $115 billion worth of arms during Barack Obama's two terms as president, according to the Center for International Policy, an anti-war think-tank.
The latest deal between the US and Saudi Arabia included 153 Abrams tanks and other military equipment which is worth an estimated $1.15 billion and was approved by the White House in August.
