This post is appearing on Autoblog Military, Autoblog's sub-site dedicated to the vehicles, aircraft and ships of the world's armed forces.
A pair of missiles fired from rebel-held Yemini territory splashed down near a US Navy destroyer on Monday. It's unclear if rebels directly targeted the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mason, but the US Navy has intercepted Iranian-flagged ships running weapons for the Shi'ite rebels, known as Houthis, in Yemen.
Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis told Reuters none of the sailors onboard the Mason were injured, and there was no damage to the ship. An anonymous defense official later confirmed the crew used on-board defensive measures against the first missile – the Navy didn't specify whether the Mason's crew used simple countermeasures or point-defense weapons like the Phalanx CIWS – although it's unclear if these efforts contributed to the rocket's miss. The Mason did not return fire.
Mason was sailing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, where the Red Sea empties into the Gulf of Aden between Yemen and Djibouti. According to Military Times, the area is a major commercial shipping lane, especially for oil.
According to Military Times, the Houthi-controlled SABA news agency cited an anonymous army official who denied responsibility for the attack. The incident involving the Mason comes days after Houthi rebels severely damaged a UAE-flagged boat in a missile attack. Rebels also fired a ballistic missile – believed to be a Soviet-era Scud – at a Saudi air base near the Islamic holy city of Mecca. Saudi forces intercepted the missile, which didn't cause any damage to the base.
A pair of missiles fired from rebel-held Yemini territory splashed down near a US Navy destroyer on Monday. It's unclear if rebels directly targeted the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mason, but the US Navy has intercepted Iranian-flagged ships running weapons for the Shi'ite rebels, known as Houthis, in Yemen.
Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis told Reuters none of the sailors onboard the Mason were injured, and there was no damage to the ship. An anonymous defense official later confirmed the crew used on-board defensive measures against the first missile – the Navy didn't specify whether the Mason's crew used simple countermeasures or point-defense weapons like the Phalanx CIWS – although it's unclear if these efforts contributed to the rocket's miss. The Mason did not return fire.
Mason was sailing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, where the Red Sea empties into the Gulf of Aden between Yemen and Djibouti. According to Military Times, the area is a major commercial shipping lane, especially for oil.
According to Military Times, the Houthi-controlled SABA news agency cited an anonymous army official who denied responsibility for the attack. The incident involving the Mason comes days after Houthi rebels severely damaged a UAE-flagged boat in a missile attack. Rebels also fired a ballistic missile – believed to be a Soviet-era Scud – at a Saudi air base near the Islamic holy city of Mecca. Saudi forces intercepted the missile, which didn't cause any damage to the base.
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