The US Department of Defense (DOD) does not consider an Israeli-owned cargo ship that was struck by missiles allegedly fired by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen to have been the intended target.
According to a statement by the Pentagon, the attack was aimed at nearby vessels, and the missiles missed their mark, resulting in the cargo ship being hit instead.
The statement added that the United States “condemned this attack in the strongest possible terms”, and confirmed that US forces were “not involved in any way”.
The US Navy is actively monitoring the situation in Yemen in order to further verify the incident and its circumstances, and is in contact with the Israeli government to assess the situation.
The US has previously condemned the Houthi rebels’ attacks on vessels in the region, and affirmed its commitment to security and regional stability in the Arabian Gulf. The US continues to support a ceasefire, and the resumption of peace negotiations, in order to bring an end to the conflict in Yemen.
