The general who heads U.S. Central Command is pointing an accusing finger at Iran in the aftermath of cruise missile attacks on U.S. ships in the Red Sea.
This month, the destroyer USS Mason was targeted at least twice, and possibly a third time, by anti-ship missiles fired from coastal regions of Yemen controlled by Houthi rebels.
In response, the U.S. destroyed three coastal defense radar sites in Yemen that may have been used to track and target the U.S. ships.
Speaking at a forum sponsored by the Center for American Progress on Wednesday, Gen. Joseph Votel noted the missiles fired at the U.S. ships were based on technology that “is associated with the Iranian threat.”
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Votel said while other actors have shore-based missiles, including the regime of the former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, he suggested Iran may have influenced Houthi rebels to fire at U.S. ships.
“I do think Iran is playing a role in this. They have a relationship with the Houthis,” Votel said. “I do suspect there is a role in that.”
A United Arab Emirates vessel was severely damaged by shore-based cruise missiles in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen, but no U.S. ships have been hit.
On an average day, 60 to 70 ships pass through the Bab-al-Mandeb strait, a narrow waterway linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
