An American warship and several commercial vessels were attacked this Sunday, December 3, in the Red Sea, the Pentagon announced. The American Department of Defense states in particular that the destroyer USS Carney was fired on, along with commercial ships, near Yemen, the agency reports Associated Press.
In the morning, the maritime security company Ambrey indicated that a British bulk carrier, flying the flag of the Bahamas, had been hit by a projectile, approximately 34.5 km northwest of Mocha, very close to the Bab el Strait. Mandeb. It could be a rocket launched from a drone. There would have been no victims.
A ship captured on November 19
Suspicions naturally fall on the Houthi rebels in Yemen, in civil war since 2014. In a press release published on social networks, the latter also claimed, late Sunday afternoon, an “operation against two ships Israeli ships in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait”, targeting the first “with a missile” and the second ship “with a drone”.
The Houthis, who control the northern half of the country, including the capital Sanaa and the west coast on the Red Sea, have threatened to attack Israeli ships, or those belonging to Israel’s allies, in retaliation for the war carried out against Hamas in Gaza.
Also read. Israel-Hamas war: how Yemen’s Houthis are relocating the conflict to the Red Sea
The rebels are part of what they call resistance axis
against Israel, with Iraqi groups or the Lebanese Hezbollah, all supported by Iran. Since October 7, the Houthis have already launched a series of drones and missiles towards Israel, which were intercepted by Israel or American warships.
On November 19, Yemeni rebels captured the merchant ship Galaxy Leader with its 25 crew members. THE Galaxy Leader belongs to a British company which is itself owned by an Israeli businessman.