US says warship attacked, houthis target two israeli ships
Yemen’s Houthis claimed they carried out targeted operations against “two Israeli ships” in the Red Sea on Sunday, the latest in a series of actions by the rebel group linked to Israel’s war on Hamas.
The Houthi posting on X, formerly Twitter, followed a statement from the Pentagon, reported by the Associated Press, that a U.S. warship, the USS Carney, had come under attack.
The Yemen-based, Iranian-backed rebels said the Bahamian-flagged bulk carrier Unity Explorer was struck by a missile, while the Panama-flagged container ship Number 9 was hit by a naval drone.
The attacks came after the ships “ignored warning messages from the Yemeni naval forces,” according to the statement.
The statement didn’t mention a U.S. Navy vessel. The extent of any damage was unclear.
The incidents are the latest in a string of attacks on vessels in the region since rebels in Yemen last month issued a threat against ships with ties to Israel, calling them “legitimate targets.”
The Pentagon didn’t identify where the fire on the USS Carney, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, originated from, the AP said.
The United Explorer, which was on its way to Singapore from the U.S., issued “distress calls related to piracy/missile attack,” Al Arabiya reported earlier citing the maritime security firm Ambrey.
United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, an arm of Britain’s Royal Navy, earlier said it received a report of a drone attack in the vicinity of the Bab el Mandeb Strait near Yemen.
Separately, on Saturday, U.S. Central Command said on X that a U.S. military plane had intercepted an Iranian drone “operating in an unsafe and unprofessional manner during aircraft carrier flight operations in the Arabian Gulf.”
___
©2023 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
