Pentagon reports an attack on an American warship in the Red Sea
The Pentagon has reported an attack on an American warship and several merchant vessels in the Red Sea. According to the Associated Press, this could potentially signal a significant escalation in the series of maritime attacks happening in the Middle East.
2:36 AM EST, December 4, 2023
"We're aware of the reports regarding attacks on the USS Carney and merchant vessels in the Red Sea. We will provide information as soon as it becomes available," the Pentagon announced in a statement.
Based on preliminary reports, during today's incident in the Red Sea, the USS Carney (DDG-64) managed to shoot down at least two 'Kamikaze' assault drones that were attempting to attack commercial navigation.
An anonymous US official stated that the attacks began around 10 a.m. local time in Sana'a, Yemen, and continued for approximately five hours.
A British vessel was among the attacked ships
Today, the 'Unity Explorer,' one of the merchant ships attacked in the Red Sea, was identified as a Bahamian-registered vessel owned by Great Britain. The bulk carrier was en route to Singapore.
Earlier, the British military had reported a drone attack and subsequent explosions in the Red Sea, without providing additional details.
Houthis claim responsibility for an adjacent attack
The Houthi Shiite militia, an Iran-backed group involved in the ongoing Yemeni civil war, claimed responsibility for launching a missile attack on an Israeli commercial ship and for attacking another ship with a drone, as reported by the Reuters agency.
According to the Houthis' spokesperson, the targeted ships were the Unity Explorer and Number Nine.
The Islamist Houthi group announced that they would attack ships flying the Israeli flag, as well as those owned or operated by Israeli companies, in a gesture of solidarity with the Palestinian Hamas organization.
