An American destroyer shot down three drones on Sunday. The fighter came to the aid of merchant ships in the Red Sea that were targeted by attacks from Yemen, Centcom, the American military command in the Middle East, said in a press release.
“There were four attacks on Sunday against three commercial ships operating in international waters in the southern Red Sea,” it said. “The USS Carney responded to distress calls and provided assistance” by shooting down three drones that targeted the warship during the day.
During their mission, the Americans spotted a missile fired from a region of Yemen controlled by Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The rocket landed near the Bahamas-flagged Unity Explorer. The cargo ship suffered limited damage in another missile attack.
Another cargo ship, the Number 9, was also damaged by a missile from Yemen. Finally, the Sophie II was also hit, but the damage was very limited.
Earlier, the Houthis had announced in a press release that they had carried out an operation “against two Israeli ships in the Bab el Mandeb Strait.” That strait connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Tadjoura and the Gulf of Aden. Those ships had rejected the rebels’ “warning messages”, it said.
In their press release, the Houthis say they will continue to target Israeli ships “until Israeli aggression against our brothers in the Gaza Strip ceases.”
As far as Centcom is concerned, these attacks are “a direct threat to international trade and maritime security.”
