On Sunday, the Pentagon announced that a U.S. naval ship successfully intercepted and destroyed multiple Houthi drones in the Red Sea following attacks on commercial vessels. This development coincided with a statement from Yemen’s Houthi rebel group, claiming responsibility for targeting two Israeli ships in the same region.
The Pentagon stated, “We are cognizant of reports concerning assaults on the USS Carney and commercial vessels in the Red Sea, and will furnish information as it becomes accessible.” Subsequently, a National Security Council official remarked later in the day that initial assessments indicate the targeting was directed solely at the commercial ships and not the USS Carney.
The attacks unfolded over multiple hours and are suspected to have originated from Houthi missiles, as indicated by defense officials. This would signify an escalation in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. The U.S. naval destroyer, the Carney, observed a ballistic missile launched at a civilian commercial ship named the “Unity Explorer.” In response to distress reports from the Unity Explorer, the Carney intervened and successfully thwarted another Houthi drone approaching both itself and the Unity Explorer.
On Sunday, the Iran-backed Houthi group declared in a statement that it had initiated missile and drone assaults on two ships it believed had ties to Israel in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, commonly known as the Gate of Tears, located in the Red Sea. The Houthi statement did not reference any attacks on U.S. vessels but specifically mentioned the “Unity Explorer” and the “Number Nine,” both of which the group claimed are linked to Israel.
“The Yemeni armed forces persist in obstructing the navigation of Israeli ships in the Red and Arab Seas until the Israeli aggression against our resilient brethren in the Gaza Strip ceases,” declared the Houthis. Yemen’s military had earlier cautioned that any Israeli ships or entities associated with Israel would be considered a “legitimate target” for attack until the Gaza conflict concludes. In a previous statement in November, the group claimed to have seized an Israeli ship.
