The U.S. is preparing a possible military strike targeting Houthi fighters in Yemen in retaliation for Sunday’s missile attack against two U.S. Navy ships in the Red Sea.
“Anybody who takes action, fires against U.S. Navy ships operating in international waters, does so at their own peril,” warned Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis Tuesday.
The incident occurred Sunday night when two shore-launched cruise missiles were fired in the direction of the USS Mason and USS Ponce, which the Pentagon says were conducting routine operations in international waters.
Mason, which is a destroyer, used defensive fire in response to the launch of the first of two anti-ship missiles, but it was unclear if the missile was shot down or just missed. A second missile, fired about an hour later, fell short of the U.S. ship and into the water.
The destroyer did not launch a counter-attack, even though it was clear the missiles were fired from Houthi-held territory along the Yemeni coast.
But Davis said a retaliatory strike remained an option, and cautioned that while all the facts point to the missile being fired by Houthi forces, the Pentagon is still assessing the situation.
“I can tell that those things are things that we’re looking at,” Davis said. “We will find out who did this and we will take action accordingly.”
On Monday, the Houthis denied responsibility for the attack, but the Pentagon said the missiles were fired from Houthi-controlled territory, and that it was similar to an attack last week on a United Arab Emirates vessel.
The Houthis are a minority Shiite group that has taken over of much of Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa.
