Yemen’s Houthis launched a missile attack against the USS Carney, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, in the Gulf of Aden.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced in a post on X that the Iran-backed militant group fired an anti-ship missile to target the warship at 1:30 p.m. (Sanaa time) on January 26.

The USS Carney intercepted and shot down the projectile, CENTCOM reported, further adding that the infrastructure and the forces sustained no damage or injury in the attack.

Though the Iranian regime has avoided any direct involvement in the Gaza war, Tehran has used its proxy groups in the region such as Houthis and Hezbollah to attack Israeli and American targets. 

Yemen’s Houthis in particular, have disrupted regional stability and international trade by targeting shipping lanes in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The group claims they only target Israeli and Israel-bound ships. Their campaign began after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in early November urged Muslims to initiate a blockade of Israel.

Citing regional and Iranian sources, Reuters reported last week that commanders from Iran’s IRGC and Lebanon’s Hezbollah are in Yemen helping to direct Houthis’ attacks in the Red Sea.

In December, the United States launched a multinational naval coalition in the Red Sea to protect trade vessels. According to Reuters, 20 countries, including Britain, Norway, Seychelles, France, the Netherlands, Australia and Italy, have joined the coalition.

On January 10, the UN Security Council passed a resolution, calling on the Houthis to stop attacks on shipping immediately.

Two days after the resolution was approved, the US and UK targeted dozens of Houthis’ sites in Yemen.