WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The first attack against the US guided-missile destroyer Mason and the amphibious warship Ponce from Yemen took place on Sunday. The Mason came under a second missile attack on Wednesday and had to use countermeasures to defend itself.
The Defense Department said the fire came from the Houthi-controlled territories.
"We have no doubt that the Houthis launched those missiles at our ships," the official said. "We feel that the response was appropriate."
The US military struck three radar sites in southern Yemen on Thursday.
The official said the strikes destroyed only the radar sites, and were not a part of a broader operation against the Houthi rebels.
"We distorted these sites, but we did not disable their [Houthis'] entire capability," the official noted.
On Thursday, the Houthis denied the involvement in the attacks.
Yemen has been engulfed in a military conflict between the government headed by Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and the Houthi rebels, which are the country’s main opposition force.
Since March 2015, the Saudi-led coalition of mostly Persian Gulf countries has been carrying out airstrikes against the Houthis at Hadi's request.
