American warship and commercial vessels under attack in Red Sea, says Pentagon
The Pentagon confirmed that several vessels had come under attack as the Israel/Hamas war escalates in the seas.
An American warship and other vessels have come under attack in the Red Sea just hours after the brief peace between Israel and Hamas ended.
The Pentagon confirmed that it was aware of reports that multiple commercial ships and an American Arleigh Burke-class destroyer had come under attack.
They said: "We're aware of reports regarding attacks on the USS Carney and commercial vessels in the Red Sea and will provide information as it becomes available."
Earlier, the UK's Maritime Trade Operations Agency had warned there were reports of drone activity originating from Yemen and reports of a possible attack in the Bab al-Mandab strait.
READ MORE: Israel recalls top negotiators from Qatar as Hamas hostage talks reach 'dead end'
According to the Mail, the Pentagon has not identified where the attack came from as speculation grows over whether the attack may have been carried out by Houthi rebels who have been launching attacks in the area.
Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, who claimed the attacks, saidthe first vessel was hit by a missile and the second by a drone while in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
However, Saree did not talk about any US warship being involved.
This is the latest in a series of attacks in the Red Sea since the Israel-Hamas war began. Last month, Houthi rebels backed by Iran attacked a US Navy destroyer and a commercial oil tanker.
However, the latest incident marks a potential escalation of the conflict as the war threatens to break out of Israel and Gaza and across into Lebanon and the wider Middle East.
Reuters has reported that the Houthi militant group has claimed to have launched a naval missile and an armed drone at two Israeli ships. They said the two ships were called the Unity Explorer and Number Nine which were targeted after they both rejected warnings from their navy.
On what the attack means for the conflict as a whole, one Sky News analyst said it didn't look like a strategic escalation and instead looked like an opportunist attack as drones are relatively easy to come by.
