Warships responded to call from Maersk Hangzhou when they came under fire from Houthi rebel-held part of Yemen, says US Central Command

An American destroyer shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles fired from Yemen Saturday as it responded to a call for help from a container ship that was hit separately, the US Central Command (Centcom) said.

Centcom said the US destroyers Gravely and Laboon responded to a request for assistance from the Maersk Hangzhou, a Singapore-flagged, Denmark-owned and operated container ship that reported being struck by a missile while transiting the Red Sea.

While responding, missiles were launched toward the ships from territory controlled by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, Centcom said.