US forces kill alleged attackers after Yemen's Houthi rebels fire at a cargo ship in the Red Sea

The U.S. military says its forces opened fire on Houthi rebels after they attacked a cargo ship in the Red Sea, killing several of them in an escalation of the maritime conflict linked to the war in Gaza. The U.S. Central Command said the crew of the USS Gravely destroyer first shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles fired at the Singapore-flagged Maersk Hangzhou late Saturday. The U.S. Navy said four small boats attacked the same cargo ship with small arms fire early Sunday and rebels tried to board the vessel. Central Command says the attackers fired on helicopters from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, and the helicopters fired back, sinking three of the four boats.