US shoots down aerial vehicle launched from Houthi-controlled areas

The USS Mason shot down a suspected Houthi drone flying in its direction during an incident in which two missiles fired from territory held by Yemen's Houthi militia missed a commercial tanker. (File: AP)

• There were no reported injuries or damage to the vessel and personnel

SANAA: The United States shot down an aerial vehicle launched from a Houthi-controlled area in response to a call from a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker in the southern Red Sea on Wednesday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said early on Thursday.
The US Navy destroyer Mason shot down an unmanned aerial vehicle launched from Houthi-controlled areas after the group attacked the commercial vessel Ardmore Encounter in skiffs, CENTCOM said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

At approximately 0830 (Sanaa time) on December 13, in the southern Red Sea, the Arleigh-Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG 87) was responding to a mayday call from the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker Motor Vessel Ardmore Encounter, which was under attack from… pic.twitter.com/JRlTNGNrgt

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) December 14, 2023

A pair of missiles were fired from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen that missed the ship, and the Ardmore Encounter was able to proceed without further incident, CENTCOM added.
There were no reported injuries or damage to the vessel and personnel, CENTCOM said.
This is the latest in a series of incidents where the Houthi group, based in the north of Yemen has targeted vessels it says are Israeli-owned or ships it says are heading to Israel.
The Sanaa based group has obstructed their passage through the Bab Al-Mandab Strait.