No U.S. vessels were hit, and there were no injuries reported among American personnel, as confirmed by Deputy Pentagon Spokesperson Sabrina Singh.
The Houthis, a rebel group in Yemen backed by Iran, claimed to have targeted three Navy warships with a combination of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones, though U.S. officials denied that any vessels were struck and stated there is no evidence to support the Houthi claims.
Singh described the attack as “complex” and confirmed that the U.S. Navy successfully engaged the incoming threats.
When asked whether the U.S. believed its warships were the intended targets, Singh stated that the exact target of the attack remained unclear.
She noted that U.S. forces take necessary defensive measures regardless of whether they are the primary target or not.
The U.S. Navy currently has five warships stationed in the Red Sea, including the destroyers USS Frank E. Petersen, USS Michael Murphy, USS Spruance, USS Stockdale, and the littoral combat ship USS Indianapolis. According to reports, the Spruance, Stockdale, and Indianapolis were likely involved in Friday’s incident.
This attack is the latest in a series of provocations by the Houthis, who have repeatedly targeted commercial vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden with missiles and drones. U.S. warships are frequently tasked with intercepting these threats. In the past two weeks, U.S. forces have destroyed one missile system in Yemen and shot down two drones over the Red Sea.
