A U.S. warship and several commercial vessels were attacked in the Red Sea on Sunday (03), the Pentagon said – a frightening escalation that worsened maritime tensions in the Middle East during the war between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas.
+ Click to see the video of the Pentagon’s announcement of the attack
The destroyer USS Carney – which had previously shot down missiles and drones aimed at it while escorting a ship through the war-affected region – was targeted along with at least two other commercial vessels starting at 10 am (local time), in an attack that lasted about five hours, the Pentagon and an unidentified American official said, according to the Associated Press. It was not immediately clear whether the American warship was hit.
“We are aware of reports of 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.
The U.S. military did not identify where the military fire came from, although they added that the destroyer had shot down at least one drone on Sunday.
The Houthi rebels of Yemen – who declared that they would attack ships in the Red Sea because of Israel’s ground incursion into Gaza – later acknowledged that they had targeted two Israeli commercial vessels on Sunday but did not mention the U.S. Navy ship.
Source: Pentagon
