Frightening development as US warship attacked in Red Sea: Pentagon

The USS Carney — which previously shot down missiles and drones aimed at it as it escorted a commercial vessel through the war-torn region — was targeted along with at least two other commercial ships starting around 10am local time in an assault that lasted about five hours, the Pentagon and an unnamed US official said, according to The Associated Press. It was not immediately clear whether the American warship was struck.

“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,” the Pentagon said in a statement.

US officials did not identify where the military fire came from, although they added that the Carney shot down at least one drone Sunday.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels — who have proclaimed they would attack ships on the Red Sea over Israeli’s ground incursion into Gaza — later acknowledged that they had targeted two Israeli commercial ships Sunday but did not mention the US Navy vessel.

The rebel group claimed it had aimed for two commercial vessels, the Unity Explorer and Number Nine, because the ships failed to heed warnings to get out of the region.

At least one commercial vessel was known to be hit Sunday, a ship belonging to a British company owned by Danny Ungar, the son of Israeli shipping magnate Rami Ungar.

The US Navy destroyer previously engaged with the rebel group Wednesday when it took out a drone launched from Yemen, according to Fox News.

The ship had been sailing near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the time of last week’s attack, but there was no damage to the Carney or its crew.

Before last week’s attack, the USS Carney had downed 15 drones and four cruise missiles in the Red Sea fired from Yemen.

Sunday’s attack against the destroyer and other commercial ships operating in the Red Sea came as the British military said a suspected drone attack and explosion had been carried out in the area.

Last week, Houthi rebels fired two ballistic missiles in the vicinity of the USS Mason as the warship responded to a distress call from a commercial tanker, the Central Park, being attacked by Somali pirates, the Pentagon said.

The Central Park was invaded by gunmen who fled when the Mason arrived. The Mason chased the attackers to the shores of Yemen.

Houthi rebels fired the missiles near the Mason, with the explosives missing the ship and landing along the Gulf of Aden.

This article was originally published by the New York Post and reproduced with permission