Washington, Jan 15 (IANS): The US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Monday said an American fighter aircraft shot down an anti-ship cruise missile fired from a Houthi-controlled area in Yemen towards the southern Red Sea amid escalating tensions in the region.

In a post on X, the CENTCOM said the incident occurred at about 4.45 p.m. on Sunday evening.

It said that the missile had been fired toward the USS Laboon warship, which was operating in the southern Red Sea.

"The missile was shot down in vicinity of the coast of Hodeidah by US fighter aircraft. There were no injuries or damage reported," the CENTCOM added.

The fresh incident comes after the militaries of the US and UK conducted strikes that targeted Houthi positions in Yemen on January 12 and 13, marking a significant response after American President Joe Biden's administration and its warned the Iran-backed militia of consequences if it did not halt its continued attacks against commercial shipping in the Red Sea.

The strikes targeted Houthi radar facilities and command and control nodes, as well as facilities used for the storage and launch of drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles.

The Houthis however, have vowed to respond to te attacks and called the US and UK assets “legitimate targets”.

The militia control much of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa and the strategic Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.

The Houthis said they only attack those Israel-linked or Israel-bound ships to press Israel to stop its war on the Palestinian enclave of the Gaza Strip.