American Fighter Downs Houthi Missile Heading Toward USS Laboon
An unspecified U.S. fighter shot down an anti-ship cruise missile fired from Iranian-backed Houthi forces in Yemen. The missile was heading toward the Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer USS Laboon in the southern Red Sea, U.S. Central Command said Sunday evening eastern.
The incident happened about 4:45 p.m. Sanaa time, according to CENTCOM. The missile was shot down in vicinity of the coast of Hudaydah by U.S. fighter aircraft. There were no injuries or damage reported.
This is the first time a shoot-down by an aircraft during this crisis has not had its service specified. Only U.S. Navy Super Hornets have been involved in these engagements so far. This may have changed. We have reached out for clarification.
This is the second known attack on ships in the region by Houthi forces since the U.S. and U.K. struck a number of targets in Yemen in response to the ongoing strikes on shipping.
USS Laboon has shot down numerous Houthi missiles and drones in recent weeks.
This is a developing story.
UPDATE: 9:50 PM EST—
A U.S. defense official has told The War Zone that the fighter was indeed land-based. This would be the first known engagement of a Houthi weapon by land-based U.S. fighter aircraft since the crisis erupted.
Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com
