A Houthi missile attack targeting a U.S. destroyer came so close to the warship that it activated its close-in weapons system, known as its last line of defense, U.S. officials said.
The terrorist group’s attack Tuesday night on the USS Gravely occurred within a mile of the ship sailing in the Red Sea, the closest a Houthi attack has been to a US warship, four US officials told CNN. .
In fact, the missile came so close that the USS Gravely, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, was forced to rely on its close-in weapons system (CIWS) for the first time since the Houthis began their assault on military forces. . and cargo ships in November, officials added.
Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are equipped with the system as a last line of defense against rocket fire, with automatic machine guns capable of conducting close-range interceptions and destroying incoming missiles.
A Houthi missile attack came within a mile of the USS Gravely on Tuesday night, the closest attack yet on a Navy warship in the Red Sea. US Navy The attack activated Gravely’s proximity weapons system, the ship’s last line of defense against incoming missiles. Moisés Sandoval/US Navy
There were no injuries or damage to the ship as a result of the attack, according to US Central Command.
While many Houthi attacks miss their target or fail to hit American warships, the latest attack on the USS Gravely demonstrates how precise the terrorist group’s attacks can be.
Despite the Houthis saying they will attack Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden as a show of support for Hamas, the Iran-backed rebel group has repeatedly fired on US and British ships.
Following the attack on the USS Gravely, the Houthis celebrated the attack as “a victory for the oppression of the Palestinian people and a response to US-British aggression against our country.”
Although many Houthi attacks miss or fail to hit their targets, the terrorist group continues to launch attacks on an almost daily basis. fake images
The strikes prompted the United States and the European Union to increase their defense capabilities, and the United States on Thursday shot down several Houthi drones and a ground control station in Yemen, Central Command said.
The terrorist’s base and its assets were destroyed after being labeled an “imminent threat” to merchant and Navy ships operating in the region, officials said.
It was the second U.S. strike in Yemen in two days after the United States also intercepted a Houthi surface-to-air missile that was prepared to launch and posed “an imminent threat to U.S. aircraft operating in the region,” according to Central Command.
A Houthi missile hit a British oil tanker carrying flammable chemicals on Saturday. Via REUTERS
Also on Wednesday, the European Union pledged to launch a full naval mission in the Red Sea within the next three weeks to protect cargo ships from the terrorist group.
The EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, stressed that the naval fleet will only be dedicated to protecting cargo ships traveling through the Red Sea and will not engage in direct combat with the Houthis.
Terrorist leaders, however, have welcomed the idea of a war against the United States and its allies, describing such a conflict as an “honor” and something all of Yemen would be prepared for.
“We are prepared for a long-term confrontation with the forces of tyranny,” Houthi commander Muhammad al-Attifi said in a statement earlier this week.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn