A US warship and three commercial vessels were attacked in the Red Sea off Yemen on Sunday — an intense development that American officials said appeared to be “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.
The USS Carney — which previously shot down missiles and drones aiming for it as it escorted a commercial vessel through the war-torn region — was targeted along with at least three commercial ships starting around 10 a.m. local time in an assault that lasted about five hours, the Pentagon and an unnamed US official said, according to The Associated Press.
The three commercial vessles were struck by the missiles, but it did not appear that the American warship was hit.
“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.
US officials did not identify where the military fire came from. They only said the Carney shot down at least three drones Sunday.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels — who have proclaimed they would attack ships on the Red Sea over Israeli’s ground incursion into Gaza — later acknowledged that they had targeted two Israeli commercial ships Sunday but did not mention the US Navy vessel.
The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Carney allegedly came under attack in the Red Sea. PO2 Aaron Lau/US Navy/SWNS
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) defeats a combination of Houthi missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles in the Red Sea, Oct. 19. ZUMAPRESS.comUS 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 rebel group claimed it had aimed for two commercial vessels, the Unity Explorer and Number Nine, because the ships failed to heed warnings to get out of the region.
The USS Carney had received a distress call from the Explorer after the vessel had been fired upon by a ballistic missile, US officials said.
At least one commercial vessel was known to be hit Sunday, a ship belonging to a British company owned by Danny Ungar, the son of Israeli shipping magnate Rami Ungar.
The US Navy destroyer previously engaged with the rebel group Wednesday when it took out a drone launched from Yemen, according to Fox News.
Chief Fire Controlman (Aegis) Kenneth Krull, assigned to the USS Carney, mans the combat systems coordinator console in the combat information center. APThe ship had been sailing near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the time of last week’s attack, but there was no damage to the Carney or its crew.
Before last week’s attack, the USS Carney had downed 15 drones and four cruise missiles in the Red Sea fired from Yemen.
US Central Command has condemned the recent attacks by the rebel group as “a direct threat to international commerce and maritime security.
“They have jeopardized the lives of international crews representing multiple countries around the world,” US Central Command said in a statement.
Sunday’s attack against the destroyer and other commercial ships operating in the Red Sea came as the British military said a suspected drone attack and explosion had been carried out in the area.
The assault against the USS Carney and two commercial ships lasted about five hours. REUTERSLast week, Houthi rebels fired two ballistic missiles in the vicinity of the USS Mason as the warship responded to a distress call from a commercial tanker, the Central Park, being attacked by Somali pirates, the Pentagon said.
The Central Park was invaded by gunmen who fled when the Mason arrived. The Mason chased the attackers to the shores of Yemen.
Houthi rebels fired the missiles near the Mason, with the explosives missing the ship and landing along the Gulf of Aden.
With Post wires
