US Central Command says it defeated Houthi attack on escorted ships in Gulf of Aden

Two U.S. Navy destroyers escorting three merchant vessels through the Gulf of Aden defeated an attack by Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, the US military said on Tuesday.

The Houthis launched multiple drones and a cruise missile while the ships were transiting the Gulf on Monday and Tuesday, US Central Command said in a post on X.

"The reckless attacks resulted in no injuries and no damage to any vessels, civilians or US Naval," CENTCOM said. "The destroyers successfully engaged and defeated multiple one-way attack uncrewed aerial systems (OWA UAS), and one anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM), ensuring the safety of the ships and their personnel, as well as civilian vessels and their crews."

A military spokesman for the Houthis said earlier on Tuesday that the group had targeted three supply ships and two American destroyers accompanying them in the Gulf of Aden.

(Reporting by Yomna Ehab and Jaidaa Taha, and Eric Beech in Washington, Editing by Timothy Heritage and Rod Nickel)