The US Navy has been attacked in the Red Sea. Houthi rebels shot two missiles at a destroyer located near the coast of Yemen. The rebels are known to be backed by Tehran.
The missiles launched on Sunday, failed to reach the US Navy destroyer. But, it does not take attention away from the fact that the rebels definitely targeted the ship. The Houthis earlier destroyed a UAE-flagged auxiliary ship near the Yemen coast.
Soon after the ship was destroyed. The US Navy stationed warship in the region. Now, the attack against the American ship sends a clear message. According to the Pentagon, the US administration is going to take necessary steps to make sue its service members and ships are safe.
In addition to the Pentagon's comments, a US Defense official too talked about taking steps to protect its people.
"The incident is under investigation, and we hope to have more details for you in the coming days," the official told Fox News. "We take this very seriously."
The USS Mason was international waters while it was attacked. It was conducting routine operations. The Pentagon has not provided the exact location of the ship.
Washington has been accusing Iran of providing weapons including missiles to the Houthi rebels. Now that the US Navy ship was attacked, it is speculated if it will take strong action against Tehran.
The United States was instrumental in striking the controversial Iran deal. The agreement lifted sanctions against the Islamic republic.
If Washington decides to take strong actions against the Houthis, it may consider alienating Iran once again.
A civil war is going on in Yemen since 2015. Washington backs the Saudi-led coalition. Iran-backed Houthis are on the other side of the table. It opposes the Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi government, NBC News reports.
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