Yemen’s Houthis claim to have targeted US warship and vessel ‘Destiny’ in Red Sea

Yemen's Houthi rebels on Wednesday (May 15) claimed to have targeted a US Navy destroyer and a commercial ship in the Red Sea. The group said that they had targeted a warship and a vessel called 'Destiny'.

The Houthis' military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a televised speech that they had targeted an American destroyer called 'Maysun'in the Red Sea with a number of 'appropriate naval missiles'.

Sarea also added that Houthis targeted the vessel 'Destiny' because it had been en route to the Israeli port of Eilat on April 20.

He did not specify the dates when the two ships were targeted, but a report by the news agency The Associated Press mentioned that the attack happened nearly two days earlier.

Such attacks have been happening in the aftermath of the Israel-Hamas war, which started on October 7. Months of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have hampered global shipping.

The attacks have also forced companies to reroute to longer and more expensive voyages around southern Africa, and fuelled fears that the Israel-Hamas conflict may destabilise the entire West Asia.

The US Maritime Administration said that the Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, seized one vessel and sunk another since November.

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Dothe Houthis have hypersonic missile?

In March, Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi claimed to have successfully tested a hypersonic missile. The claim was made by the group to Russian media. Citing a source, Sputnik reported, "Missile forces of the movement have successfully tested a missile that can reach speeds of up to Mach 8 [6,200 miles per hour] and is powered by solid fuel."

The reports have mentioned that the Iran-backed rebel group is planning to begin manufacturing the missiles for use against targets in the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden, as well as Israel.

Hypersonic weapons fly at speeds higher than Mach 5 and the one claimed to have tested by Houthis is Mach 8 which is eight times the speed of sound. Such missiles could pose crucial challenges to missile defence systems because of their speed and manoeuvrability.

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, Syria, Iraq and non-state actors like Islamic State, among others. In this context, claims and counterclaims are being made online and offline. WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.

(With inputs from agencies)