The Pentagon has received reports of attacks on an American warship and “multiple” other ships in the Red Sea. The reports pertain to the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64), as well as commercial vessels.
Two US defence officials informed NBC that the warship destroyed a Houthi drone that was headed towards it in the southern part of the sea. Additionally, the officials reported that a “ballistic missile was fired” at the M/V Unity Explorer.
According to one official, USS Carney promptly answered the distress call and managed to take down a drone while providing assistance to the ship. The official further stated that on Sunday, multiple commercial vessels in the Red Sea were targeted by Houthi missiles over a period of several hours. This incident could potentially signify a significant escalation in a string of maritime assaults in the Middle East that are connected to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
On Sunday, the Houthi rebels in Yemen, who are backed by Iran, claimed that they attacked two Israeli vessels in the Bab al-Mandab strait in the Red Sea using a naval missile and an armed drone. Brigadier General Yahya Saree, the spokesperson for the group’s military, stated that the ships, Unity Explorer and Number Nine, were targeted after they ignored warnings from the rebels’ navy.
Following Hamas’ attack on Israel on 7 October, there have been increasing reports of the Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen launching a series of cruise missiles and attack drones towards both US assets and Israel in the region. This has raised concerns that the Israel-Hamas conflict could expand further and potentially escalate into a larger regional conflict.
