The Houthis in Yemen launched missiles at ships in the Red Sea on Wednesday, but two of the missiles were intercepted and the third missed, the White House said.
US and British forces have carried out two rounds of joint strikes aimed at reducing the Houthis' ability to attack vessels in the Red Sea.
Washington has also launched a series of unilateral airstrikes on missiles that were ready to be fired - but the Iran-backed Houthis have vowed to continue their attacks.
"There were 3 Houthi missiles launched at two merchant ships in the southern Red Sea, one missile missed... and the other two were shot down by a US Navy destroyer," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.
"This of course emphasizes that the Houthis still intend to carry out these attacks, which means we will still have to do what we need to do to protect this shipment," added the spokesman.
The US military's Central Command (CENTCOM) said the missiles were fired "at the US-flagged container ship owned and operated by the M/V Maersk Detroit," but did not mention a second vessel.
"No injury to crew or damage to the ship was reported," CENTCOM said in a statement.
The Houthis began attacking ships sailing in the Red Sea in November, saying they were attacking vessels linked to Israel in support of the Palestinians in Gaza, who were harmed in the Israel-Hamas war.
Yemeni militants have since declared US and British interests as legitimate targets as well.
Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder said on Tuesday that several days had passed since the last attack by the Houthis, but noted that "they do retain some capability" and that "it is not impossible that there may be more attacks."
In addition to the military action, Washington is seeking to apply diplomatic and financial pressure on the Houthis, redefining them as a terrorist organization last week, after previously dropping that label shortly after President Joe Biden took office.