A U.S. destroyer in the Red Sea shot down several drones as three commercial vessels were attacked from Houthi territory in Yemen, the U.S. military said, as Washington weighs all “appropriate responses” to another spike in tensions in the Middle East.
There were “four attacks against three separate commercial vessels operating in international waters in the southern Red Sea” on Sunday, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement. The U.S. military named the three ships as the Unity Explorer, the Number 9 and Sophie II.
The Houthi movement said it had attacked the Unity Explorer and Number 9, but said they were Israeli vessels, according to reports. A spokesperson for Israel’s military said they had no connection to Israel, and the U.S. described the ships as Bahamas and Panama-flagged.
A U.S. destroyer, the USS Carney, also registered a series of drone attacks launched from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen as it responded to the incidents, CENTCOM said. The precise targets of the drones was not clear.
The U.S. “has every reason to believe that these attacks, while launched by the Houthis in Yemen, are fully enabled by Iran,” it added.
US Navy
The U.S. has repeatedly identified Iran and proxy groups backed by Tehran as U.S. enemies across the Middle East. Following the Palestinian militant group Hamas’ attacks on Israel in early October, the U.S. redirected military strength to the region and condemned what it called Iran’s support for “terrorist activities.” The U.S. has also said Iran continues to support organizations operating against U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria in a recent spate of attacks on U.S. bases.
“We know that Iran cultivates a threat network that touches both the maritime space, the air space and the land space, whether through its cultivation of militias and proxies on the ground [or] its provision of one-way attack drones, which compromises the air,” a senior U.S. defense official said in late October.
“We see a prospect for a more significant escalation against US forces and personnel in the near term,” an unnamed U.S. official also said earlier in October. “Let’s be clear about it—the road leads back to Iran. Iran funds, arms, equips and trains militias and proxy forces all across the region.”
“The United States will consider all appropriate responses in full coordination with its international allies and partners,” CENTCOM said on Sunday.
Below, Newsweek has drawn up a list of timings for the reported attacks and strikes on Sunday. All timings are in local time for Sanaa, Yemen (ET+8).
9:15 a.m.
U.S. forces detected Houthi rebels firing an anti-ship ballistic missile from Yemen in “the vicinity” of a cargo vessel under the flag of the Bahamas, but owned and operated by the United Kingdom. The cargo ship, the Unity Explorer, had crew members from both countries on board, CENTCOM said.
The Carney was on patrol in the Red Sea when it detected the attack, the U.S. added.
12 p.m.
The USS Carney “shot down” an aerial drone launched from Houthi territory in Yemen. The destroyer was in international waters, and the drone was headed towards the USS Carney, “although its specific target is not clear.”
The U.S. said it was not possible to work out whether the U.S. destroyer was the intended target of the drone attack, but the ship was not damaged and no personnel were injured, CENTCOM said.
12:35 p.m.
The Bahamas-flagged Unity Explorer then reported a separate attack, saying it was struck by a missile fired from Houthi areas of Yemen. The USS Carney then responded to the vessel’s distress call.
While the U.S. destroyer was helping out with the cargo ship’s damage assessment, the Carney detected another incoming drone. It was destroyed without inflicting any damage on the destroyer or the cargo vessel, according to CENTCOM, although the Unity Explorer “reports minor damage from the missile strike.”
3:30 p.m.
Less than three hours later, another cargo vessel was traveling in international shipping lanes through the Red Sea when it was struck by a missile launched from Houthi-dominated areas of Yemen.
The container ship, the Number 9, was sailing under Panama’s flag and is owned and operated by the U.K. and Bermuda. There was some damage but no casualties, the U.S. military said.
4:30 p.m.
About an hour later, another Panamanian-flagged commercial ship, the Sophie II, said it had been struck by a missile and sent out a distress call.
The USS Carney then responded to the bulk carrier, but shot down another inbound drone on its way to the Sophie II, CENTCOM said.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.