American forces in the Middle East came under attack on multiple fronts over the weekend, and U.S. forces struck back against the involved Iran-backed militias in recent days, the Pentagon and U.S. Central Command said Tuesday.
On Monday, the Navy destroyers Stockdale and Spruance were attacked by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen as the warships transited the Bab al-Mandeb strait that links the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the Pentagon said.
The attack involved “at least eight attack drones, five anti-ship ballistic missiles and three anti-ship cruise missiles, which were successfully engaged and defeated,” Pentagon spokesman Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters Tuesday.
“The vessels were not damaged, no personnel were hurt,” he said.
Over the weekend, U.S. forces had struck Houthi storage sites housing “a variety of advanced conventional weapons,” Ryder said.
On Sunday, Iran-backed militants in Syria attacked U.S. forces at Mission Support Sight Green Village in Syria, using a mix of air drones and rockets, and no troops were injured in those attacks, Ryder said.
“Central Command took appropriate action again to protect our forces and send a clear message that attacks against our forces won’t be tolerated,” Ryder said. Neither he nor CENTCOM said what groups were responsible for the attacks on the American military — nor which groups were later targeted in response.
The U.S. hit nine targets across two sites “associated with Iranian groups” in Syria in response, according to CENTCOM.
There are around 900 American forces in Syria, fighting the terrorist group ISIS as part of an international coalition that will wind down over the next two years.
CENTCOM conducted a similar series of strikes in mid-October, and this latest round came in response to Houthi attacks on shipping vessels and American forces, Ryder said. Such attacks have been almost continuous over the last year as the Houthis have menaced commercial and military ships in the Red Sea following Israel’s war in Gaza.
The U.S. launched an international coalition to protect shipping in the corridor late last year, though most companies have rerouted their travel rather than risk damage in transit.
Noah Robertson is the Pentagon reporter at Defense News. He previously covered national security for the Christian Science Monitor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English and government from the College of William & Mary in his hometown of Williamsburg, Virginia.
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