US intercepts 9 Houthi missiles and destroys 2 drones

Shafaq News/ The US military announced on Friday the destruction of 9 anti-ship ballistic missiles and two drones belonging to the Houthis in Yemen.

The Central Command (CENTCOM) stated in a release that "it destroyed these weapons after the Houthis launched four anti-ship ballistic missiles, two of which fell in the Gulf of Aden and the remaining two in the Red Sea, none of which resulted in damage."

CENTCOM added, "the Iran-backed Houthis launched two anti-ship ballistic missiles from their controlled areas in Yemen towards the Gulf of Aden, in addition to two anti-ship missiles towards the Red Sea."

The statement pointed out, "No injuries or damages were reported by the U.S. or coalition ships," noting that its forces "successfully identified and destroyed nine anti-ship missiles and two drones in the areas controlled by the Houthis in Yemen."

According to the statement, "these weapons were identified as an imminent threat to commercial ships and U.S. naval vessels in the region."

CENTCOM's statement came after the British Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) announced early Friday that it had received a report of an explosion near a ship off the coast of Aden, Yemen, indicating that the explosion did not result in injuries or damage.

Earlier on Thursday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), stated in a release that "a ship reported an explosion" near it while it was 50 nautical miles southeast of the city of Aden in southern Yemen, confirming that "the ship was not damaged and the crew is safe."

Notably, Houthis launched two anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs) towards the Gulf of Aden, firing an additional two into the Red Sea on Thursday. All four of the missiles missed their marks, with no injuries or damage reported by US ships.