Pentagon confirms attack on US warship after Yemeni Houthi rebels claim attacks on Israeli ships

The American warship USS Carney and several other commercial ships were attacked in the Red Sea, the U.S. Pentagon confirmed on Sunday evening.

“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 without mentioning who was responsible for the attacks.

Earlier in the day, the British military stated that a ship came under a suspected drone attack and that several explosions were recorded, without elaborating further, the Associated Press reported.

American and Israeli warships countered the attack with unmanned aerial vehicles, according to the Al-Arabiya news outlet.

Yemeni Houthi rebels, who have claimed several attacks against alleged Israeli ships in recent weeks, again took responsibility for attacking two Israeli-owned ships.

The Houthis’ military spokesman Yahya Sare’e said his group managed to “inflict painful blows on Israel using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles” to prevent ships owned by Israel and friendly countries from passing through the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab straits.

One of the two attacked ships is leased to a company with partial Israeli ownership but sailed without an Israeli flag and no Israeli crew members or Israeli goods on board. The ship suffered light damage in the attack, according to Army Radio.

According to the same report, the second ship was badly damaged in the attack. The ship is British-owned and does not have any connection to Israel.

Sare’e said the Houthis resumed their attacks on Israel as a response to the continuation of the fighting in the Gaza Strip on Friday.

“We are fighting a fateful battle against the Israeli and American enemies, and we will continue until the aggression against Gaza stops. The Yemeni forces are ready for all possibilities, and to respond to any attack from the Saudis and Emiratis. It would be foolish for the US and Israel to attack Yemen,” Sare’e said.

The American destroyer USS Carney was stationed in the Red Sea area in response to the war between Israel and the Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip.

At the end of October, the Carney intercepted three cruise missiles fired from Yemen and headed for southern Israel, according to Israeli media reports.

The Houthi rebels have declared their support for the Hamas terror organization in the war and have carried out several attacks against the southern Israeli town of Eilat, as well as ships sailing in the Red Sea.