Missiles Strike Yemeni Destroyer: A Retrospect

Two missiles fired from Yemen landed near a passing United States destroyer in the Red Sea, the U.S. Navy said on Monday. It appeared that the missiles were intentionally fired at the U.S.S. Mason, a guided missile destroyer.This is not the first time that missiles from Yemen have targeted passing ships; a United Arab Emirates high-speed ferry was also struck by a guided missile on October 1^st.The prior incident left the ship damaged badly.This time, the missiles missed the American destroyer. The launch comes the same day that a ballistic missile from Yemen targeted a Saudi air base near the Muslim holy city of Mecca. That attack is the furthest that Houthi rebels have struck into Saudi territory.On Saturday, a Saudi airstrike killed over 140 people and wounded 525 in Aden, Yemen’s capital. The strike may have been retaliation for that bombing, which happened at a funeral.

No Americans Injured on Destroyer

A Navy statement released said that no American sailors were injured and no damage was done to the Mason, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer from Norfolk, Virginia. A spokesman for U.S. Navy Forces Central Command said that it is unclear if the Mason was specifically targeted, although it does appear that missiles were fired in its direction twice over the course of an hour.The Mason used onboard defensive measures after the first missile was fired. The U.S. destroyer was at that time north of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which is a gateway for oil tankers headed to Europe through the Suez Canal.The Emirati boat targeted by rockets last week was carrying humanitarian aid and crewed by civilians, according to the United Arab Emirates. The Houthis said it was a warship.The missile that flew deep into Saudi territory was shot down near Taif, Saudi Arabia, more than 325 miles from the border. It was said to be a variant of the Soviet-era SCUD missile.