A cruise missile fired by the Houthi insurgents into the Red Sea on Tuesday night narrowly missed striking a US destroyer, coming within a mile of the vessel before being neutralized. This incident represents the closest a Houthi attack has come to impacting a US warship, as reported by four US officials to CNN. Previously, missiles launched by the Houthis were intercepted by US destroyers at a distance of eight miles or more. However, the USS Gravely had to employ its Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) to shoot down the incoming missile successfully, marking the first use of the CIWS for this purpose since the US began counteracting Houthi missile launches late last year.

Following the missile interception, US forces took proactive measures to neutralize additional threats from the Houthis, including the destruction of a surface-to-air missile intended to target US aircraft and airstrikes against Houthi drones and control stations in Yemen.

(Representational Video / A Phalanx Close-In Weapons System (CIWS) fires during a live fire exercise onboard amphibious assault ship USS Boxer )