US Reportedly Has No Information on Houthi Attack in Yemen on US Ship in Gulf of Aden

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Washington says that it did not receive any information about an attack by the Houthi movement on a US ship in the Gulf of Aden, AP reported on Monday, citing a defense official.

Earlier in the day, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said that the movement had launched a new missile attack on a US expeditionary mobile base vessel Lewis B. Puller in the Gulf of Aden.

"In response to the US-UK aggression against our country ... last night, the Yemeni Navy fired an appropriate missile at a US Navy ship Lewis B. Puller while it was sailing in the Gulf of Aden," Saree said in a statement.

He claimed that the warship provided logistical support to American forces that earlier hit Houthi targets in Yemen.

Sarea also said the attack on the USS Lewis B. Puller was "part of [the Houthis’] military response to defend Yemen and support the oppressed Palestinian people." The US has not commented on the matter yet.

The purported attack comes after the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement that they had destroyed a Houthi anti-ship missile aimed at the Red Sea.

According to the statement, the US forces identified the missile in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, and determined it presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and US naval ships in the area.

Last November, the Houthis pledged to attack any ships in the Red Sea associated with Israel until it halts military actions against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

This prompted the US to announce the creation of a multinational operation to secure navigation in the strip. Earlier this month, US and UK forces started to launch strikes against Houthi positions in a bid to degrade the fighters’ ability to target commercial vessels.

After ten days, the bombing campaign, which kicked off without authorization from either the US Congress, UK Parliament or UN, failed to stop Houthi attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea. The Houthis have vowed to respond in kind to American strikes.