Three missiles were fired by the crew from a Navy destroyer in an effort to defend themselves and another ship from being attacked on Sunday in the Red Sea by Iran-allied Houthi rebels.

The crew on the USS Mason fired the missiles to protect the guided-missile destroyer and nearby USS Ponce from two alleged cruise missiles that were fired from the Yemini shore, two defense officials told the US Naval Institute (USNI).

Two Standard Missile-2s and a single Enhanced Sea Sparrow Missile were launched from the USS Mason to intercept the two missiles that were fired around 7pm.

Also, the Navy destroyer used its Nulka anti-ship missile decoy, sources say.

At the time of the incident, the USS Mason was in international waters north of the strait of Bab el-Mandeb.

Three missiles were fired by the crew from USS Mason (file above) in an effort to defend themselves and another ship from being attacked on Sunday in the Red Sea by Iran-allied Houthi rebels

U.S. officials say they are seeing growing indications that the group, despite denials, were responsible for Sunday's attack off the Yemen coast. Above tribesmen loyal to Houthi rebels are pictured October 2

The USS Mason 'employed onboard defensive measures (against the first suspected cruise missile,) although it is unclear whether this led to the missile striking the water or whether it would have struck the water anyway', a defense official told the USNI on Monday.

On Monday the Pentagon said an investigation is ongoing concerning the incident.

On Wednesday, US officials said they were seeing growing indications that Iran-allied Houthi rebels, despite denials, were responsible for Sunday's attack.

The rebels appeared to use small skiffs as spotters to help direct a missile attack on the warship, US officials, who are not authorized to speak publicly because the investigation is ongoing, told Reuters.

The US is also investigating the possibility that a radar station under Houthi control in Yemen might have also 'painted' the USS Mason, something that would have helped the Iran-aligned fighters pass along coordinates for a strike, said the officials.

Two missiles were launched in an attempt to hit the USS Mason (file picture) and USS Ponce on Sunday coming from Yemeni territory controlled by Houthi rebels, according to a US military spokesman

Neither of the two missiles fired from Houthi-controlled territory on Sunday hit the USS Mason or the nearby USS Ponce, an amphibious transport dock.

But the incident threatens to trigger the first direct U.S. military action against Houthis in Yemen's conflict, even if it is limited to one-off retaliation.

The Houthis have publicly denied any role in the strike. A senior Western diplomat told Reuters those denials have been communicated privately as well.

But the emerging details of Sunday's incident, if confirmed by a U.S. investigation, would lend further support to the Pentagon's claims that 'the facts certainly seem to point' to Houthi involvement.

The U.S. military even hinted on Tuesday at possible preparations for a retaliatory strike.

'Anybody who takes action, fires against U.S. Navy ships operating in international waters, does so at their own peril,' Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis told a news briefing.

Neither of the two missiles fired from Houthi-controlled territory on Sunday hit the USS Mason (file picture) or the nearby USS Ponce, which is an amphibious transport dock

The Houthis, who drove the Saudi Arabia-backed Yemen President Abd Rabbu Mansour al-Hadi from the capital in 2014, had previously avoided targeting U.S. military ships.

Although the United States has provided limited support for the Saudi-led coalition battling the Houthis, it also has reserved its direct military role in Yemen to the fight against al Qaeda's affiliate, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

That general U.S. policy might still remain in place, even if it opts to carry out one-off retaliatory strikes.

Yemen's war has killed at least 10,000 people and brought parts of the country to the brink of starvation.

The Houthis, who are allied to Hadi's predecessor Ali Abdullah Saleh, have the support of many army units and control most of the north including the capital Sanaa.

The U.S. military has acknowledged that only the first of the two missiles came close enough to even trigger the USS Mason's defenses, and it is still not clear those were necessary to avoid a direct hit on the ship.

It is also not clear whether those defenses caused the missile to splash down early, or whether it would have fallen short anyway.

The Houthis are allied to Yemen President Abd Rabbu Mansour al-Hadi's predecessor, Ali Abdullah Saleh (file above)

The second missile, fired about an hour later, was far enough away that the USS Mason did not deem it necessary to employ its defenses.

But Reuters reported that the coastal defense cruise missiles themselves had considerable range, adding to concerns about the kind of heavy weaponry that the Houthis appear willing to employ and some of which U.S. officials believe is supplied by Iran.

The second missile, for example, traveled more than two dozen nautical miles before splashing into the Red Sea off Yemen's southern coast, one of the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The Houthis had previously acknowledged responsibility for firing on a vessel from the United Arab Emirates a week earlier.

Both incidents took place around the Bab al-Mandab strait, one of the world's busiest shipping routes.

Gerry Northwood, chief operations officer with British maritime security firm MAST, suggested the Houthis would find it increasingly difficult to stage similar strikes going forward.