Two missiles targeted a US warship off the coast of Yemen on Sunday but missed the vessel and hit the water instead, a Pentagon spokesman said.
The missiles were fired at the USS Mason from Houthi-controlled territory in war-torn Yemen, Capt. Jeff Davis said, adding that the guided-missile destroyer deployed "onboard defensive measures" and was undamaged.
But the Houthis -- a minority Shia group that has taken control of much of Yemen, including the capital -- denied Monday that its forces had targeted the warship.
An official from the Houthi-controlled military said the reports were aimed at covering up a "heinous" Saudi-led coalition airstrike on a wake Saturday in the capital, Sanaa, that officials said killed at least 155 people, the Houthi-controlled SABA news agency reported.
"Reports that allege that Yemeni rockets targeted ships off the Yemeni (coast) are baseless," the official said.
The US warship was in international waters more than 12 nautical miles (22 km) offshore, in the southern end of the Red Sea, north of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, according to a defense official.
The missiles were launched within 60 minutes of each other, Davis said.
"We assess the missiles were launched from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen. The United States remains committed to ensuring freedom of navigation everywhere in the world, and we will continue to take all necessary steps to ensure the safety of our ships and our service members," he said.
