The US destroys three drones in the Red Sea
A US warship shot down three drones on Sunday while escorting merchant vessels in the Red Sea that were the target of attacks from Yemen, the US military’s Middle East Command (Centcom) said.
“Today there were four attacks on three different merchant vessels operating in the international waters of the southern Red Sea,” Cencom said in a statement. “The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS CARNEY responded to ships’ distress calls and provided assistance” and shot down three drones heading toward the warship during the day, he said. – He specifies.
The USS Carney spotted a missile fired from an area in Yemen controlled by Iran-backed Houthi rebels that landed near the Bahamas-flagged Unity Explorer ship. The cargo ship then reported minor damage from another missile that struck from a rebel-held area.
The ship Number Nine, a Panama-flagged bulk carrier, reported being damaged by a missile from Yemen without reporting any casualties. The Sophie II, which also sails under the Panamanian flag, said it was also hit without suffering significant damage.
Previously, the Houthi rebels announced in a statement posted on social media that they had launched an “operation against two Israeli ships in the Bab Al-Mandab Strait,” a strategic waterway connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden connects, first ship with a “rocket and the second with a drone”. According to the press release, the ships are the Unity Explorer and the Number Nine. It said the attack took place after they “rejected warnings” from the Houthis.
The rebels said they would continue to attack Israeli ships “until Israeli aggression against our brothers in the Gaza Strip ceases.”
Earlier in the day, maritime security firm Ambrey reported that a British cargo ship flying the Bahamas flag was hit by rocket fire in the Red Sea. According to Ambrey, the ownership and management of the attacked ship is linked to Dan David Ungar, a British citizen who is listed as an Israeli resident in the UK’s main corporate directory.
Centcom believes these attacks pose “a direct threat to international trade and maritime security.”
“We also have every reason to believe that these attacks, although carried out 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 international allies and partners.”