US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Monday, December 3, that the Houthi group in Yemen, backed by the Iranian regime, attacked “three commercial vessels” in the waters of the southern Red Sea. The attack was intercepted by US Arleigh-Burke Class destroyer USS CARNEY.
The CENTCOM statement, released early Monday morning, states that it believes “these attacks, while launched by the Houthis in Yemen, are fully enabled by Iran.”
The statement says that the USS Carney responded to the distress calls of these three commercial ships, which are affiliated with 14 countries, and provided assistance to them.
Today, there were four attacks against three separate commercial vessels operating in international waters in the southern Red Sea. These three vessels are connected to 14 separate nations. The Arleigh-Burke Class destroyer USS CARNEY responded to the distress calls from the…
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) December 3, 2023
According to the report, at around 9 a.m. local time in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, a ballistic anti-ship ballistic missile was launched towards the “Unity Explorer” ship from the Houthi-controlled area in the country. The missile landed near the target.
CENTCOM further stated that about three hours later, a US naval vessel shot down a Houthi-launched unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), noting that the exact target of this unidentified drone attack could not be determined and it cannot be confirmed that the USS Carney was the intended target.
The report continues to state that at approximately 12:35 p.m. on Monday, the “Unity Explorer” ship reported being hit by a missile fired by the Houthis, followed shortly after by an attack from a UAV.
The report describes the damage to this British-flagged commercial ship, which was sailing under the flag of the Bahamas, as “minor.”
CENTCOM states that Monday afternoon, the commercial ship “Number Nine” was hit by a missile fired from the Houthi-controlled area in Yemen, but despite the incurred damage, there were no casualties.
CENTCOM announced the name of the third targeted ship as “Sophie 2,” which was flying the Panamanian flag and was traveling on an international route in the Red Sea, stating that it had not suffered significant damage.
CENTCOM considered these attacks a “direct threat to international trade and maritime security” and stated that they endangered the lives of the crews of these ships from multiple countries. It also stated that, for this reason, the United States will consider all appropriate options to respond to this action.
The Pentagon announced on Monday afternoon that it was aware of reports of an attack on the USS Carney and several other commercial ships in the Red Sea and would provide information on the matter.
The Houthi group in Yemen also claimed on Monday that it had targeted two ships named “Unity Explorer” and “Number Nine,” which it described as “Israeli.”
An hour later, an Israeli army spokesperson stated that the two targeted ships had no connection to Israel.
