"A clash occurred today between a number of American destroyers and warships in the Gulf of Aden and Bab al-Mandab while they were protecting two American commercial ships. The result of the clash was as follows: - A direct hit on an American vessel. - Forcing the two American commercial vessels to withdraw and return," Saree said in a statement on X.
The spokesman said the movement used "a number of ballistic missiles" during clashes that lasted for more than two hours, adding that "several missiles struck their targets despite warships' attempts to intercept them."
Earlier in the day, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said the Houthis had attacked US-flagged, owned, and operated container ship Maersk Detroit in the Gulf of Aden, adding that one missile had landed in the sea and two other missiles had been shot down.
Yemen's Ansar Allah movement, also known as the Houthis, vowed in November 2023 to attack any ships associated with Israel until it halts military actions in the Gaza Strip. This led the US to announce the creation of a multinational operation to secure navigation in the Red Sea. Forces of the US and the United Kingdom later launched major strikes against Houthi positions in a bid to degrade the rebels' ability to target commercial vessels.
On Monday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that foreign ministers of the EU had "agreed in principle" to launch a maritime security mission in the Red Sea, but the bloc had yet to agree on when and how it would be launched.