US military forces have struck at targets in Houthi-controlled Yemen in the past 24 hours, destroying two drones, a Houthi ground control station, and three anti-ship cruise missiles, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.
Earlier, the Iran-aligned Houthis said they had attacked a container ship in the Red Sea and two US destroyers in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday.
"These weapons presented a clear and imminent threat to US and coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region,” CENTCOM said in a statement on the US strikes.
It said this "reckless and dangerous behavior" by the Houthis threatened regional stability, but it gave no further details and did not confirm that any US vessels had been attacked.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said earlier that the Houthi air force had launched drones against the US destroyer Cole and fired a number of ballistic missiles at the US destroyer Laboon on Wednesday.
The Liberia-flagged container ship Contship Ono was also targeted with ballistic missiles and drones, he said.
Contships Management in Athens told Reuters the vessel had not been hit and its crew were safe.
A US official said there was no data or information to corroborate the Houthis' claim that the two warships had been attacked.
