US warships repelled attack from Yemen’s Houthis, Pentagon says

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(Reuters) -U.S. warships shot down drones and missiles fired by Yemen’s Houthis while they were transiting the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Houthis said they conducted two military operations against U.S. naval vessels in the Red and Arabian seas which the group’s military spokesperson said lasted for eight hours.

Pentagon spokesperson Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder said that on Monday two U.S. warships were attacked by at least eight drones, five anti-ship ballistic missiles and three anti-ship cruise missiles. The warships brought down the projectiles and there was no damage to the vessels.

Ryder said he was not aware of any attacks against the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln.

Houthi spokesperson Yahya Sarea had earlier said the first operation targeted a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Arabian sea with a number of missiles and drones, while the second operation launched missiles and drones at two U.S. destroyers in the Red Sea.

The Iran-backed Houthi movement, which controls northern Yemen, has been launching attacks on international shipping lanes near Yemen since Oct. 7 which they say are against ships they perceive as Israeli-linked in solidarity with Palestinians during Israel’s war in Gaza.

The attacks have drawn U.S. and British retaliatory strikes. The Houthis previously said they targeted U.S. destroyers and drones.

(Reporting by Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart, Jaidaa Taha,Adam Makary)