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Word came late last night that Houti rebels in Yemen, supported by the Iranian regime, launched two anti-ship missiles at the USS Mason, operating in the Bab al Mandab straits at the southern end of the Red Sea.

 

Neither missile struck the ship.

Iranian-backed Houthi rebels fired two missiles at a U.S. Navy destroyer operating off the coast of Yemen in the Red Sea on Sunday — though neither missile hit the ship, the Pentagon said in a statement.

Though the American warship wasn’t struck, the ship was definitely targeted, a U.S. defense official told Fox News. This dramatic escalation comes a week after the U.S. Navy sent warships to the area when a United Arab Emirates flagged auxiliary ship was destroyed off the coast of Yemen by the Houthis.

"We assess the missiles were launched from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen," Pentagon spokesman Capt Jeff Davis said. "The United States remains committed to ensuring freedom of navigation everywhere in the world, and we will continue to take all necessary steps to ensure the safety of our ships and our servicemembers."

It was not immediately clear how close the missiles came to the destroyer.

There’s no official word yet on what type of missiles were used, but a good guess would be the C802, a Chinese design supplied in quantity to Iran.

And Iran has backed the Houti rebels in Yemen in their proxy war against the Saudis to their north.

Whether the missiles missed due to countermeasures from USS Mason or just poor targeting and fire control isn’t clear. The Mason did employ countermeasures for at least one missile, per the Fox News report.

The missile attack comes on the heels of a Houti missile strike on a UAE transport last week. The former HSV-2 Swift, used by our Navy in a test and logistical role, was employed by the UAE for transport duties when it was struck by what was likely a C802 in the same waters as the Mason was operating in this week.

HSV-2 Swift after missile attack last week

Of course, Yemen is also where Al Queda linked terrorists attacked the USS Cole in 2000, killing 17 US sailors.

Instead of being the diplomatic coup that the Obama administration insists it is, the recent so called “deal” with Iran has instead freed up billions in cash for Iran to fund its operations in Iraq and Syria, and to bolster its efforts in Yemen. In return, the US actually has less access, via international monitors, to the Iranian nuclear program than it had before.