The United States destroys three drones in the Red Sea
A US warship shot down three drones on Sunday while escorting commercial ships in the Red Sea targeted by attacks from Yemen, the US military Middle East Command (Centcom) announced.
“Today there were four attacks on three separate commercial vessels operating in the international waters of the southern Red Sea”said Cencom in a press release. “The Arleigh-Burke-class destroyer USS CARNEY responded to distress calls from ships and provided assistance”shooting down three drones that were heading toward the warship during the day, he said.
THE USS Carney detected a missile, fired from an area of Yemen controlled by Iran-backed Houthi rebels, which landed near the ship Unity Explorer, flying the flag of the Bahamas. The cargo ship then reported minor damage from another missile coming from a rebel-held area.
Vessel Number Nine, a Panamanian-flagged bulk carrier, declared having been damaged by a missile coming from Yemen, without reporting any casualties. THE Sophie IIwhich also flies the Panamanian flag, indicated that it had also been hit, without suffering significant damage.
Previously, the Houthi rebels announced in a statement published on social networks that they had carried out a “operation against two Israeli ships in the Bab-Al-Mandab Strait”a strategic waterway connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, targeting the first ship with a “missile and the second with a drone”. According to the press release, the ships areUnity Explorer and the Number Nine. It is specified that the attack took place after they “rejected warning messages” Houthis.
Rebels say they will continue targeting Israeli ships “until the Israeli aggression against our brothers in the Gaza Strip ceases”.
Earlier today, the maritime security company Ambrey said a British cargo ship flying the flag of the Bahamas had been hit by rocket fire in the Red Sea. According to Ambrey, ownership and management of the attacked vessel is linked to Dan David Ungar, a British citizen listed as an Israeli resident in Britain’s main business directory.
Centcom believes that these attacks represent “a direct threat to international trade and maritime security”.
“We also have every reason to believe that these attacks, although launched by the Houthis in Yemen, are entirely financed by Iran”Centcom said. “The United States will consider all appropriate responses in full coordination with its allies and international partners”.