US Navy warship shoots down Houthi rebel drones in furious response to missile attack
The USS Carney has shot down multiple drones from Yemeni Houthi rebels as tensions continue to build in the Red Sea.
A US Navy ship has shot down multiple Houthi rebel drones in the Red Sea in response to a previous ballistic missile attack on a commercial vessel.
On Sunday, the USS Carney took out at least three of the Iran-backed Houthi rebels' drones and responded to a distress call from a civilian commercial ship that faced a ballistic missile attack, according to a US defense official.
The rebel drones were being used for four attacks against three commerical vessels in the Red Sea, US Central Command said in a statement on Sunday evening. It is currently unclear whether the USS Carney was a target of the drones.
US Central Command said that at roughly 9:15 am local time, the USS Carney “detected an anti-ship ballistic missile attack fired from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward the M/V Unity Explorer.” The missile landed in the Carney's vicinity as it was patrolling the Red Sea at the time.
The Unity Explorer is a bulk cargo ship flagged by the Bahamas and owned and operated by the UK, according to CENTCOM.
READ MORE: American warship and commercial vessels under attack in Red Sea, says Pentagon
A few hours later at noon local time, the Carney took out one Houthi drone while in the southern Red Sea on Sunday afternoon. According to CENTCOM, the drone “was headed toward Carney although its specific target is not clear.”
At about the same time, Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen fired a missile that struck the Unity Explorer. The Carney then responded to the distress call and destroyed another drone while assisting.
There were “no damage or injuries on the Carney or Unity Explorer" but CENTCOM’s release said the Unity Explorer did report “minor damage” from the ballistic missile strike.
Two more commercial vessels were also struck on Sunday; the M/V Number 9, a Panamanian flagged, Bermuda and UK owned and operated vessel, and the the M/V Sophie II.
The M/V Number 9 was “struck by a missile” fired from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen. The ship reported no damage or casualties.
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On its way to respond after the M/V Sophie II was struck by a missile, the Carney shot down another drone headed in its direction. The Sophie II did not report any significant damage, according to CENTCOM.
US Central Command, in its statement, cast the attacks as “a direct threat to international commerce and maritime security.” They said: “They have jeopardized the lives of international crews representing multiple countries around the world. The United States will consider all appropriate responses in full coordination with its international allies and partners.”
The statement also said the US has reason to believe the drone and missile attacks were “enabled by Iran.”
On Sunday, the Houthi-run Yemeni Armed Forces claimed that its nacy had attacked "two Israeli ships" in the Red Sea’s Bab al-Mandab strait. According to their statement, the Unity Explorer and M/V Number 9 were hit with a naval missile and drone, respectively, after ignoring warning messages.
The statement said: "The targeting operation came after the two ships rejected warning messages from the Yemeni naval forces. The Yemeni Armed Forces renew their warning to all Israeli ships or those associated with Israelis that they will become a legitimate target if they violate what is stated in this statement and previous statements issued by the Yemeni Armed Forces.”
