At least one missile was sacked on U.S. Navy destroyer USS Mason in global waters off Yemen's coast, but the ship deployed countermeasures and was not struck, U.S. officials told NBC News Saturday.
Initially, a US defense official said multiple missiles were fired at three ships patrolling worldwide waters at around 3:30 p.m. ET.
Those U.S. strikes targeted three radar sites in Yemen territory controlled by Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
The USS Mason was previously targeted twice this week and the countermeasures Saturday come days after the USA fired retaliatory strikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebel sites in Yemen.
Despite the latest missile attack Yemen's Houthi rebels released two United States hostages Saturday as part of a complex series of negotiations involving multiple parties.
More than 100 people who were wounded in the funeral hall bombing have been allowed medical evacuation to seek treatment outside of Yemen, a Yemeni government official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. This news story is related to Latest/157617-Missiles-fired-at-US-warships-in-Red-Sea-no-casualties/ - breaking news, latest news, pakistan ne.
USS Mason (DDG-87) - operating in the Red Sea, north of the Bab el-Mandeb strait - believes to have fired upon by multiple coastal defense missiles, a Navy official told USNI News.
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Two U.S. citizens were released in Yemen by Houthi rebels battling the government there, the State Department confirmed Saturday.
The incidents, along with an October 1 strike on a vessel from the United Arab Emirates and the October 12 failed strike on a US Navy destroyer, add to questions about safety of passage for military ships around the Bab al-Mandab Strait, one of the world's busiest shipping routes.
More than 4,000 civilians have been killed since the conflict in Yemen intensified in March of 2015 the Office of the U.N. Commissioner on Human Rights said Monday.
Saudi Arabia's King Salman set up the JIAT in May following an global outcry over the rising number of civilian casualties in Yemen. No hits were reported.
"We welcome reports that two USA citizens who had been detained in Yemen were released and have arrived safely in Oman". On Friday, senior administration officials said there was "no doubt" that Houthi rebels had been responsible for the failed missile attacks. The official said that neither missile got near the ship.
The outcry over the number of civilian casualties prompted the coalition to announce an easing of the air blockade it has enforced since March previous year to allow the evacuation of the most seriously wounded for treatment overseas. A rebel leader later said the United States national was detained for providing the Saudi-led coalition with target coordinates for its deadly campaign against the Iran-backed Huthis.
