Two Missiles Fired Again At US Ship Off Yemen

Two missiles were fired today at the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Mason while it was in international waters off of Yemen, the third such incident this week, U.S. officials said. The ship was unharmed by the attack after one fell into the sea and the other was brought down by a defensive missile deployed by the destroyer. The latest attack comes just days after the United States military launched a retaliatory missile attack that destroyed three Houthi radar sites used in the previous attacks. Two U.S. officials confirm that the USS Mason was targeted by another missile attack on Saturday and that the ship was not hit. One official said initial reports are two missiles were fired at the destroyer, which used defensive countermeasures in response. According to a U.S. official one of the missiles was engaged and destroyed by a defensive missile that had been launched by the USS Mason.

The other missile fell into the sea short of the destroyer. It is the third time this week that the destroyer was targeted by missiles originating in Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen. In the earlier attacks, three missiles fired at the USS Mason all fell into the sea. It remained unclear whether two of them fell on their own into the sea or because of the defensive countermeasures used by the destroyer's crew. Those strikes led to U.S. retaliatory missile strikes on Thursday targeting radars were located in Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen. In a statement, the Pentagon warned that any new missile attacks risked another U.S. military response. Friday, a senior Administration official said there was "no doubt" that Houthi militants were behind the missile attacks on the Mason. The official said it was unclear what may have motivated the attacks and speculated that there may be factions within the group who have different agendas. The Houthis are an Iranian-backed rebel group that in January 2015 overthrew the Yemeni government. Since March 2015, they have been fighting a Saudi-led coalition that intervened militarily in Yemen to restore that government to power.