On Sunday, three commercial vessels and a US destroyer were attacked in the Red Sea off Yemen. American officials have stated that this action seemed to have been “fully enabled” by Iran.
“The United States will consider all appropriate responses in full coordination with its international allies and partners,” the US Central Command warned in a statement of the incident, which ratcheted up maritime tensions in the Middle East during the Israel-Hamas war.
An assault that began at approximately 10 a.m. local time and continued for approximately five hours targeted the USS Carney and three other commercial ships, as reported by The Associated Press and confirmed by an unnamed US official. The USS Carney had previously intercepted missiles and drones headed its way while escorting a commercial vessel through the war-torn region.
The American battleship did not seem to be hit, while the missiles did strike the three commercial vessels.
“We’re aware of reports regarding attacks on the USS Carney and commercial vessels in the Red Sea and will provide information as it becomes available,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
The source of the military fire was not disclosed by US officials. The only thing they said was that on Sunday, the Carney shot down three drones.
Houthi rebels from Yemen eventually admitted that they had attacked two Israeli commercial ships on Sunday, but they left out the US Navy vessel. This comes after they had previously threatened to strike ships in the Red Sea in response to Israel’s ground assault into Gaza.
US Central Command said it had “every reason to believe that these attacks, while launched by the Houthis in Yemen, are fully enabled by Iran.”
The insurgents said they targeted the Unity Explorer and Number Nine, two commercial ships, because their crews ignored repeated instructions to leave the area.
According to US sources, the USS Carney was notified of the Explorer’s distress call following the ballistic missile attack on the ship.
It was reported on Sunday that a commercial vessel, owned by a British company headed by Danny Ungar—the son of Israeli shipping billionaire Rami Ungar—was among the at least one that was hit.
Fox News reports that on Wednesday, the US Navy destroyer shot down a drone that had been launched from Yemen, marking the first engagement between the two groups.
The Carney and its crew were unharmed during last week’s attack, which occurred while the ship was cruising close to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The USS Carney had already intercepted and neutralized fifteen drones and four cruise missiles launched from Yemen in the Red Sea before to last week’s assault.
According to US Central Command, the rebel group’s latest strikes pose a serious risk to international commerce and marine security.
“They have jeopardized the lives of international crews representing multiple countries around the world,” US Central Command said in a statement.
As the British military reported a suspected drone strike and explosion in the vicinity on Sunday, they launched an attack against the destroyer and other commercial ships in the Red Sea.
According to the Pentagon, last week, the USS Mason was responding to a distress signal from a commercial tanker named Central Park that was being targeted by Somali pirates when two ballistic missiles were fired into the area by Houthi rebels.
The gunmen who had seized Central Park escaped as soon as the Mason arrived. After pursuing the assailants to Yemeni coasts, the Mason rescued them.
The missiles were fired by Houthi rebels close to the Mason, but the explosives landed in the Gulf of Aden instead, causing the ship to miss.
