The US suspects Iran, but the Houthis take credit for the attacks in the Red Sea.
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) reports that on Sunday, December 3, while assisting commercial ships in the Red Sea that were being attacked by Yemenis, an American destroyer shot down three drones. According to reports, there have been attacks on US warships and commercial vessels in the area, which the Pentagon has acknowledged.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, meanwhile, claimed to have attacked two Israeli ships nearby with drones and missiles.
Since the beginning of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, an Iran-backed militia in Yemen has taken control of an Israeli-affiliated cargo vessel and launched a series of drones and missiles into Israel in recent weeks.
Drones that a US warship shot down
According to the US Navy, after missile and drone launches from Houthi-controlled territory, the US destroyer Carney responded to distress calls and offered support.
According to the CENTCOM, “three different commercial vessels operating in international waters in the southern Red Sea were the target of four attacks today.”
The USS Carney, an Arleigh-Burke Class destroyer, shot down three drones that were approaching the warship and “responded to the distress calls from the ships and provided assistance,” according to the statement.
Carney located a missile from the Houthi-controlled area of Yemen that had dropped close to the M/V Unity Explorer, which is flying the flag of the Bahamas. The cargo ship later reported minor damage from another missile fired from a rebel-held area, according to AFP.
After a missile strike from Yemen, the Panamanian bulk carrier M/V Number 9 also reported some damage but no casualties. The M/V Sophie II, flying the Panamanian flag as well, reported that it was struck but sustained no significant damage.
These strikes represent a “direct threat to international commerce and maritime security,” according to the US Navy.
The US suspects Iran, but the Houthis take credit for the attacks in the Red Sea.
The Houthis asserted that they utilized an armed drone and a naval missile to target two Israeli ships in their attack on Unity Explorer and Number 9, which are allegedly connected to UK-based firms.
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A spokesman for the group supported by Iran added that the ships were attacked because they disregarded warnings, although he did not elaborate on the incident.
The organization threatened to keep attacking the nation’s warships “until the Israeli aggression against our steadfast brothers in the Gaza Strip ceases,” according to a social media post.
In the meantime, the US has threatened to take the required action in coordination with its allies and accused Iran of supporting the Houthis’ attacks in Yemen.
“We also have every reason to believe that Iran is fully enabling these attacks, even though the Huthis are the ones conducting them in Yemen.” In complete collaboration with its international friends and partners, the United States “will consider all appropriate responses,” the Pentagon declared.
On Sunday, the US military apprehended five attackers who had taken over a cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden that was connected to Israel.
