A story claims that a US destroyer’s close-quarters weapons system was recently tested by a Houthi rocket. Usually regarded as a warship’s last line of defense, the close-in weaponry system is intended for close-range intercepts.

Although it is not the most recent exchange of fire, the Tuesday event is the most recent Houthi missile attack. On Tuesday, a US Navy destroyer was approached to within a mile of a Houthi anti-ship cruise missile that was launched into the Red Sea. As a last resort, the US vessel resorted to its close-quarters weaponry.

Four US officials told CNN that this was the closest a Houthi attack has ever got to an American warship. CNN published more information about the incident on Wednesday. According to US Central Command, the missile was fired from Yemen and was shot down by USS Gravely at approximately 11:30 p.m. local time.

Business Insider requested more information from Centcom, but Centcom declined. No damage or injuries were recorded. Attack drones and missiles have been fired into important waterways close to Yemen’s coast by rebels supported by Iran for months. Many of these threats have been intercepted by US warships, often with the assistance of British or French forces, preventing any attacks on warships.

At least one close-in weapon system, such as a radar-guided automated 20 mm cannon with an effective range of roughly two nautical miles, is installed on US destroyers of the Arleigh Burke class.

Warships use interceptors such as the SM-2 or SM-3, launched from vertical-launch-system cells, prior to engaging the close-in weapons system. The manufacturer, Raytheon, claims that the SM-3 interceptor has a considerable impact force and can eliminate aerial threats. Chaff systems are another tool that warships might use to trick a missile’s radar.

The US military said on Wednesday that the USS Gravely incident happened just before US forces destroyed a Houthi surface-to-air missile in Yemen that was considered to be an immediate threat to US aircraft in the area.

In order to neutralize possible threats to US warships and commercial vessels in the vicinity of Yemen’s coast, the US has launched preemptive attacks on Houthi missiles, specifically targeting their anti-ship capabilities. In addition to these preventative measures, the US and the UK have attacked many Houthi locations in Yemen, including missile launchers, weapons storage facilities, radars, and air defense systems.

The operations, according to Western officials, are a reaction to continuous Houthi attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, two vital international commerce lanes. Spokesman for the White House National Security Council John Kirby said that the US is defending shipping by aggressively opposing the Houthis, but he made it clear that the US is not at war with the rebels who are supported by Iran.