Ships attacked in the Red Sea, American destroyer shoots down drones

On Sunday, a US destroyer shot down three drones while assisting commercial ships in the Red Sea. They have become the target of attacks from Yemen. The United States condemned the “direct threat” to maritime security.

Earlier, the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels announced that they had carried out an “operation” against “Israeli ships in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait,” the strategic waterway connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, in retaliation for the war waged by the Israeli army against Palestinian Hamas in Gaza Strip.

” Today (Sunday)“There were four attacks on three separate commercial vessels operating in international waters in the southern Red Sea,” the US Military Middle East Command (Centcom) said in a statement. “The destroyer (…) USS Carney responded to distress signals from the ships and assisted them,” shooting down three drones heading towards the warship during the day, he said.

“Direct threat to international trade”

The destroyer detected a missile fired from a Houthi-controlled area of ​​Yemen that ended up near the Bahamas-flagged Unity Explorer. The cargo ship then reported minor damage from another rocket fired from a rebel-held area. The Panama-flagged cargo ship Number 9 said it was damaged by a missile from Yemen but did not report any casualties. The Sophie II, flying the same flag, reported that it was also hit but did not suffer significant damage.

For Centcom, 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 funded by Iran,” Centcom said. “The United States will consider all appropriate response measures in close coordination with its international allies and partners. »

The Houthi rebel statement only mentioned an attack on two boats, Unity Explorer and Number 9, one of which was attacked by a “missile” and the other “by a drone,” the press release said, after the buildings “rejected warning messages” from Houthis. According to them, the rebels will continue to attack Israeli ships “until Israeli aggression against our brothers in the Gaza Strip ceases.”

On November 19, the attack on the leader of the Galaxy began.

Earlier on Sunday, maritime security company Ambrey said a British cargo ship was hit by a missile attack in the Red Sea, “about 34.5 kilometers west-northwest of Mocha, in Yemen.” “The crew would have retreated” to the safety of the boat, the maritime safety company added. Ownership and operation of the attacked vessel was linked to Dan David Ungar, a British citizen listed as an Israeli resident in the UK’s premier business directory, Embry said. Britain’s maritime safety agency UKMTO said it had received a report of drone activity, “including a potential explosion,” “near Bab al-Mandeb” coming from Yemen. She advised vessels in the area to “exercise caution”.

The incidents come amid heightened tensions in the Red Sea after Houthi rebels seized the merchant ship Galaxy Leader with 25 crew members on November 19. Galaxy Leader is owned by a British company, which itself is owned by an Israeli businessman.

The rebels are part of what they call an “axis of resistance” against Israel, along with Iranian-backed groups such as Palestinian Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah. They launched a series of drones and missiles towards Israel, and many of these devices were intercepted by Israeli defenses or US warships.

The growing number of maritime incidents prompted the foreign ministers of the G7 countries (USA, UK, France, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan) to call on the rebels to stop threatening international shipping and to release the Galactic Leader and his crew. during a meeting held last week.