Missile fired at US ship from Yemeni rebel-held territory for 2nd time in 4 days

The USS Mason in 2011. (AP Photo/File)

A U.S. Navy ship in the Red Sea was targeted by at least one missile fired from rebel-held territory in Yemen on Wednesday for the second time in just four days, a U.S. official confirmed to Fox News.

The cruise missile was fired from a coastal area controlled by Iranian-backed Shiite rebels known as Houthis, the official said, adding that the destroyer, the USS Mason, was not hit.

The ship used countermeasures and there were no injuries, according to the official.

The incident Wednesday evening unfolded not far from where two missiles were fired at the USS Mason and the USS Ponce on Sunday.

Pentagon officials have said the U.S. is weighing what military response it should take against the rebels.

"For the second time in four days, USS Mason responded to an incoming missile threat while conducting routine operations in international waters off the Red Sea coast of Yemen," said Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook in a statement. "At about 6 p.m. local time today (11 a.m. EDT), the ship detected at least one missile that we assess originated from Houthi-controlled territory near Al Hudaydah, Yemen. The ship employed defensive countermeasures, and the missile did not reach USS Mason.  There was no damage to the ship or its crew.  USS Mason will continue its operations."

Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson said in a statement the crew on the USS Mason "demonstrated initiative and toughness."

"The US Navy remains on watch in the Red Sea and around the world to defend America from attack and to protect U.S. strategic interests,"  he said. "These unjustified attacks are serious, but they will not deter us from our mission. We are trained and ready to defend ourselves and to respond quickly and decisively."

The missile attacks came on the heels of two other attacks against Saudi sites. A ballistic missile fired from Yemen apparently targeted a Saudi air base near the Muslim holy city of Mecca, the deepest strike yet into the kingdom by Shiite rebels and their allies. The rebels fired another two missiles into the Saudi Jizan region along the border on Monday, wounding two foreigners who worked there, the local civil defense said in a statement.

The Houthis and their allies have offered no reason for the launches, though they came after a Saudi-led airstrike targeting a funeral in Yemen's capital killed more than 140 people and wounded 525 on Saturday.

The deliberations about how to retaliate to the missile launches come as the U.S. considers withdrawing its support for the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis following Saturday's airstrike on the funeral and other troubling incidents of civilian casualties as a result of the Saudi bombing campaign.

Human rights groups have expressed outrage over the deaths and accused the U.S. of complicity, leading the White House to say it was conducting a "review" to ensure U.S. cooperation with longtime partner Saudi Arabia is in line with "U.S. principles, values and interests."

The last missile attack on a U.S. Naval ship was on the USS Stark in May 1987, which was in the middle of a six-month patrol in the Persian Gulf when it was hit by two missiles fired from an Iraqi fighter plane. A total of 37 sailors were killed during the attack.

Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson, Kara Rowland and The Associated Press contributed to this report.