2023-12-03 19:06:25
A US warship and several commercial ships were attacked on Sunday in the Red Sea, the Pentagon reported.
The Houthi rebels later claimed responsibility for two attacks on ships they said were linked to Israel, but did not acknowledge the attack on the US Navy ship.
The attack is a possible escalation in a series of maritime attacks in the Middle East stemming from the war between Israel and Hamas.
“We are aware of reports of attacks against the USS Carney and commercial vessels in the Red Sea and will provide more information as it becomes available,” the Pentagon told The Associated Press.
The Carney is an Arleigh Burke-type destroyer.
British forces had previously reported that there appeared to be a drone attack and explosions in the Red Sea, without giving details.
The Pentagon did not identify where the attack came from. However, the spokesman for the Houthi army, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, said that the attacks were committed by them and that the first boat was hit by a missile and the second by a drone while they were in the Bab el-Mandeb strait that connects to the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
Saree did not mention that a US warship was involved in the attack. He noted that the attacks will continue as long as Israel continues its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The Houthis have launched several attacks on ships in the Red Sea, as well as missiles and drones against Israel as the war rages on.
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters, said the attack began around 10 a.m. in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, and lasted about five hours.
Another U.S. official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity for the same reason, said Carney had intercepted at least one drone during the attack.
Global shipping trade has come under attack in recent times as the war between Israel and Hamas threatens to become a regional conflagration, even though a truce halted hostilities and allowed Hamas to free some hostages, and Israel to free some Palestinian prisoners.
However, the end of the truce and the resumption of Israeli air strikes in its ground offensive have increased the risk of a resumption of maritime attacks.
In November, the Houthis seized an Israeli-linked transport ship in the Red Sea off Yemen. The rebels still have that ship in the Yemeni port of Hodeida. Missiles fell near another US warship last week that had gone to the rescue of another Israeli-linked vessel that was briefly taken over by raiders.
However, the Houthis have not attacked American forces directly for some time, intensifying the risk in the growing maritime conflict.
In 2016, US forces launched Tomahawk missiles that destroyed three radar facilities in Houthi-controlled territory, in retaliation for rockets fired at US Navy ships.
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