The Pentagon confirmed Sunday that a US warship was attacked.
The guided-missile destroyer USS Carney in Souda Bay, Greece, in a file photo.
A U.S. warship and several commercial vessels were attacked on Dec. 3 in the Red Sea, the Pentagon confirmed.
"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, later," a Pentagon spokesperson told several news outlets. Other details weren't provided, and it wasn't clear if the U.S. Navy destroyer was struck in the attack.
Notably, the USS Carney, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, had previously shot down several drones and missiles, U.S. Central Command said in a statement issued last week.
A number of news outlets, citing anonymous Pentagon or military officials, claimed that the USS Carney came under attack for five hours. The attack appeared to be launched by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebel group, which also targeted the MV Unity Explorer, a Bahamian-flagged bulk carrier, and the USS Carney responded to the commercial vessel's distress call.
The UK military said earlier on Dec. 3 there had been a suspected drone attack and explosions in the Red Sea, it was reported; the Pentagon didn't elaborate or identify where it believed the fire came from.
A military spokesman for the Houthis, Yahya Saree, said via a Yemeni state-run news outlet that a vessel was hit by a missile and the second by a drone while in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. He described the ships as allegedly ignoring warnings from Houthi officials prior to the attack.
"It is enough pride and honor for us in Yemen that we have taken an honorable position that will be immortalized in history in supporting Gaza and Palestine, waging the battle of confrontation with the Zionist enemy," he claimed, referring to Israel.
The Houthi group, which has long been backed by Iran, also launched "painful strikes" toward " the occupying entity with ballistic and winged missiles and drones, and preventing the Israeli enemy's ships and those cooperating with it from passing through the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab until it stops its aggression against Gaza Strip," said Mr. Saree, who was referred to by state media as a brigadier general.
“The Yemeni armed forces continue to prevent Israeli ships from navigating the Red Sea (and Gulf of Aden) until the Israeli aggression against our steadfast brothers in the Gaza Strip stops,” Mr. Saree said, according to The Associated Press. “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.”
The official, however, didn't elaborate on the attack, including whether the target was an American warship. But he suggested that the attack was in response to the Israel–Hamas conflict, which erupted after Hamas launched a series of terrorist attacks against Israel on Oct. 7, leaving about 1,200 civilians dead. Israel has since waged a significant bombing campaign against Hamas, while officials in Gaza have claimed more than 10,000 people have died so far.
"We will continue the battle of confrontation with the forces of aggression and tyranny, and we will move forward on the path of victory for our homeland and our people and for our nation's just issues, most notably the Palestinian issue," said Mr. Saree, according to Yemeni state-backed media.
The Houthis, a Shia group that was taken off the U.S. designated terrorist list by the U.S. Department of State in 2021, have been launching a series of attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, as well as launching drones and missiles targeting Israel amid the war.
In November, the Houthis seized a vehicle transport ship also linked to Israel in the Red Sea off Yemen. The rebels still hold the vessel near the port city of Hodeida. Missiles also landed near another U.S. warship last week after it assisted a vessel linked to Israel that had briefly been seized by gunmen.
Members of the Houthis gather during a military effort near Sanaa, Yemen, on Oct. 30, 2023.
However, the Houthis hadn't directly targeted the Americans for some time, further raising the stakes in the growing maritime conflict. In 2016, the U.S. launched Tomahawk cruise missiles that destroyed three coastal radar sites in Houthi-controlled territory to retaliate for missiles being fired at U.S. Navy ships at the time.
Since the start of the Israel conflict, U.S. forces have come under attack in the Middle East as several Iran-aligned groups have fired rockets at military bases housing troops in recent weeks.
A U.S. warship and several commercial vessels were attacked on Dec. 3 in the Red Sea, the Pentagon confirmed.
"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, later," a Pentagon spokesperson told several news outlets. Other details weren't provided, and it wasn't clear if the U.S. Navy destroyer was struck in the attack.
Notably, the USS Carney, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, had previously shot down several drones and missiles, U.S. Central Command said in a statement issued last week.
A number of news outlets, citing anonymous Pentagon or military officials, claimed that the USS Carney came under attack for five hours. The attack appeared to be launched by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebel group, which also targeted the MV Unity Explorer, a Bahamian-flagged bulk carrier, and the USS Carney responded to the commercial vessel's distress call.
The UK military said earlier on Dec. 3 there had been a suspected drone attack and explosions in the Red Sea, it was reported; the Pentagon didn't elaborate or identify where it believed the fire came from.
A military spokesman for the Houthis, Yahya Saree, said via a Yemeni state-run news outlet that a vessel was hit by a missile and the second by a drone while in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. He described the ships as allegedly ignoring warnings from Houthi officials prior to the attack.
"It is enough pride and honor for us in Yemen that we have taken an honorable position that will be immortalized in history in supporting Gaza and Palestine, waging the battle of confrontation with the Zionist enemy," he claimed, referring to Israel.
The Houthi group, which has long been backed by Iran, also launched "painful strikes" toward " the occupying entity with ballistic and winged missiles and drones, and preventing the Israeli enemy's ships and those cooperating with it from passing through the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab until it stops its aggression against Gaza Strip," said Mr. Saree, who was referred to by state media as a brigadier general.
“The Yemeni armed forces continue to prevent Israeli ships from navigating the Red Sea (and Gulf of Aden) until the Israeli aggression against our steadfast brothers in the Gaza Strip stops,” Mr. Saree said, according to The Associated Press. “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.”
The official, however, didn't elaborate on the attack, including whether the target was an American warship. But he suggested that the attack was in response to the Israel–Hamas conflict, which erupted after Hamas launched a series of terrorist attacks against Israel on Oct. 7, leaving about 1,200 civilians dead. Israel has since waged a significant bombing campaign against Hamas, while officials in Gaza have claimed more than 10,000 people have died so far.
"We will continue the battle of confrontation with the forces of aggression and tyranny, and we will move forward on the path of victory for our homeland and our people and for our nation's just issues, most notably the Palestinian issue," said Mr. Saree, according to Yemeni state-backed media.
The Houthis, a Shia group that was taken off the U.S. designated terrorist list by the U.S. Department of State in 2021, have been launching a series of attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, as well as launching drones and missiles targeting Israel amid the war.
In November, the Houthis seized a vehicle transport ship also linked to Israel in the Red Sea off Yemen. The rebels still hold the vessel near the port city of Hodeida. Missiles also landed near another U.S. warship last week after it assisted a vessel linked to Israel that had briefly been seized by gunmen.
Members of the Houthis gather during a military effort near Sanaa, Yemen, on Oct. 30, 2023. However, the Houthis hadn't directly targeted the Americans for some time, further raising the stakes in the growing maritime conflict. In 2016, the U.S. launched Tomahawk cruise missiles that destroyed three coastal radar sites in Houthi-controlled territory to retaliate for missiles being fired at U.S. Navy ships at the time.
Since the start of the Israel conflict, U.S. forces have come under attack in the Middle East as several Iran-aligned groups have fired rockets at military bases housing troops in recent weeks.
Meanwhile, global shipping had increasingly been targeted as the Israel–Hamas war threatens to become a wider regional conflict even as a truce briefly halted fighting and Hamas exchanged hostages for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. However, the collapse of the truce and the resumption of punishing Israeli airstrikes and its ground offensive there had raised the risk of the seaborne attacks resuming.
Pentagon officials didn't respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.
Pentagon officials didn't respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.
No comments:
Post a Comment