DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Two missiles fired from rebel-held territory in Yemen landed near an American destroyer passing by in the Red Sea, the U.S. Navy said on Monday.
While the Navy said the missiles, fired in a span of 60 minutes, landed in the water before reaching the USS Mason, the launches come after another Emirati ship suffered massive damage from a rocket attack days earlier.
Meanwhile, a ballistic missile launched from Yemen apparently targeted a Saudi air base near the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi and rebel media reported — the deepest strike yet into the kingdom by Shiite rebels and their allies.
In a statement, the Navy said no American sailors were injured and no damage was done to the USS Mason, an Arleigh Burke class of guided missile destroyer whose home port is Norfolk, Virginia.
Lt. Ian McConnaughey, a spokesman for U.S. Navy Forces Central Command, said Monday it’s unclear if the Mason was specifically targeted, though the missiles were fired in its direction.
Yemen’s war is largely overshadowed by the conflict against the Islamic State group elsewhere in the Middle East, though rights groups have mounted increased criticism of the Saudi-led airstrikes in recent months for killing civilians. The U.N. and rights groups estimate the conflict has killed at least 9,000 people and displaced nearly 3 million more.