US downs Houthi missile in latest Red Sea attack

USS Laboon sailing into Souda Bay, Greece. [AFP photo]

The U.S. military said Sunday it shot down an anti-ship cruise missile fired from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen toward a U.S. Navy destroyer in the southern Red Sea.

U.S. Central Command said fighter aircraft shot down the missile near the coast of the port city of Hodeida. There were no reports of injuries or damage, CENTCOM said.

The Iran-backed Houthis have carried out weeks of attacks targeting vessels in the Red Sea in what they say is a campaign in support of Palestinians in Gaza.

The attacks have disrupted shipping through the important route that connects to the Mediterranean Sea, with many international shipping companies opting to re-route traffic on longer routes to avoid the area.

The latest Houthi attack came days after the United States and Britain carried out airstrikes on about 30 Houthi targets in western Yemen in response to the threats in the Red Sea.