A few seconds before the collision: a Houthi missile flew so close to a US destroyer for the first time

The US warship was almost hit by a Houthi missile/Collage 24 Channel< p _ngcontent-sc198 class="news-annotation">Last week, Yemen's Houthis fired a missile at a US warship. A US destroyer used the “last line of defense” for the first time.

The incident occurred on Tuesday, January 30, in the Red Sea. A US Navy ship miraculously managed to avoid a missile strike.

A mile from disaster

The cruise missile launched by the Houthis came within a mile (1.6 kilometers) of the US destroyer before it was shot down, media reported. This means that the impact was literally seconds away.

Previously, destroyers intercepted these missiles at a range of eight miles or more. However, the situation with the USS Gravely was different. He had to use the so-called “last line of defense” – the close-in weapons system (CIWS). This is the first time a US vessel has used this system since the fall of 2023, when the Houthis began attacking American ships. The US, as well as commercial shipping in the Red Sea, remains very serious even after massive attacks by Washington and its allies on the Houthi infrastructure in Yemen.

In addition, this event demonstrates that Iran is supplying the Houthis with advanced weapons and military technology.

Director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Affairs Researcher Tom Karako, noted that even the slow missiles the Houthis received from Iran can travel a mile in a matter of seconds, and decision-making time for warship commanders is shortened by the narrow waterways of the Red Sea.

According to Karako, the air defense challenge is a “power issue” because US warships have a limited supply of interceptor missiles to use. “We can’t afford to sit here and play catch forever,” he said.

The escalating conflict between the US and the Houthis : what is known

• Tension between Americans and Yemeni militants increased after Hamas attacked Israel. It is known that the United States supports Tel Aviv, and Iran and the Houthis support the Palestinians.
• In response to Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip, the Houthis began to hunt civilian ships in the Red Sea, which have attitude towards Israel or its allies.
• Then the United States and Great Britain launched a powerful blow to the Houthi military targets.
• However, this did not stop the militants. They continued attacks, in particular on American military bases in Syria and Jordan. Recently, three American soldiers were killed there by an enemy drone strike.
• On the night of February 4, the United States and allies struck the Houthis again. They attacked 36 targets in 13 locations.
• They, in turn, promised to “revenge”.