The U.S. military said late Monday it destroyed an anti-ship ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels at a ship in the Gulf of Aden.

U.S. Central Command said in a statement that the target of the missile was likely the U.S.-flagged U.S.-owned container ship MV Yorktown, which was escorted by a U.S. Navy destroyer.

“It has been determined that ABSM poses an imminent threat to U.S., coalition and commercial vessels in the area,” Central Command said.

The United States is leading a coalition effort to help protect key shipping routes through the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea from attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

The Houthis, designated a terrorist group by the United States, said their actions against the ships were in solidarity with Palestinians fighting in the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.