US officials said the missile came from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen.
A U.S. warplane shot down a missile fired at a U.S. warship from Houthi-held territory in Yemen, U.S. military officials said.
The USS Laboon was fired upon in the southern Red Sea at approximately 4:45 p.m. Sunday, U.S. Central Command said said On social media.
“The missile was shot down by a US warplane near the coast of Hudaydah,” officials said. “There were no injuries or damage.”
Sunday's missile launch in Yemen appeared to be the first attack by Houthi fighters since US and British forces unleashed a series of large-scale retaliatory airstrikes against several Houthi targets in Yemen.
The Houthis, an Iran-backed militant group, have been attacking merchant ships for weeks in the Red Sea, the gateway to the Suez Canal, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
President Joe Biden said Friday that there have been at least 27 attacks on international merchant shipping.
The world's biggest shipping companies, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, have both diverted container ships from the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden to longer voyages around the Cape of Good Hope.
More than 2,000 merchant ships have been diverted to avoid the Red Sea, Biden said.
Biden said the retaliatory strikes by the US and UK were a “defensive measure” following attacks on merchant ships. A statement Published on Thursday.
“I will not hesitate to direct additional measures necessary to protect our people and the unhindered flow of international trade,” he said.
ABC News' Luis Martinez and Nathan Luna contributed to this story.
