DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Ballistic missiles fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels struck three commercial ships in the Red Sea on Sunday, while a US warship shot down three drones in self-defence during the hours-long attack, the US military said. The Iran-backed Houthis claimed responsibility for two of the attacks.
The strikes marked an escalation in a series of naval attacks in the Middle East linked to the Israel-Hamas war, as multiple vessels found themselves in the crosshairs of a single Houthi attack for the first time in the conflict. The US vowed to “consider all appropriate responses” in the wake of the attack, calling out Iran in particular after years of tensions over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear programme.
“These attacks pose a direct threat to international commerce and maritime security,” the US military’s Central Command said in a statement. “They have endangered the lives of international crews representing multiple countries around the world.”
It added: “We also have every reason to believe that these attacks, while launched by the Houthis in Yemen, are fully enabled by Iran.”
The attack began at around 9.15am local time (0615 GMT) in Houthi-controlled Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, Central Command said.
The USS Carney, a Navy destroyer, detected a ballistic missile fired from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen at the Bahamas-flagged bulk carrier Unity Explorer. The missile hit near the ship, the US said. Shortly after, the Carney shot down a drone headed in its direction, although it’s not clear if the destroyer was the target, Central Command said.
About 30 minutes later, the Unity Explorer was hit by a missile. While responding to its distress call, the Carney shot down another incoming drone. Central Command said the Unity Explorer sustained minor damage from the missile.
Two other merchant ships, the Panamanian-flagged bulk carriers Number 9 and Sophie II, were both hit by missiles. The Number 9 reported some damage but no casualties, and the Sophie II reported no significant damage, Central Command said.
While sailing to assist the Sophie II at about 16:30 local time (1330 GMT), the Carney shot down another drone heading in its direction. No damage was done to the drones.
The Carney, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, has shot down several rockets fired by the Houthis at Israel during the country’s war against Hamas in Gaza. It wasn’t damaged in any of the incidents and no injuries were reported on board. The Ministry of Defence initially described the attack as simply an attack on the Carney, before providing further details.
Houthi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree claimed two of Sunday’s attacks, saying the first vessel was hit by a missile and the second by a drone while in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. Saree did not mention that a US warship was involved.
“Yemeni forces continue to prevent Israeli ships from sailing in the Red Sea (and Gulf of Aden) until the Israeli aggression against our steadfast brothers in Gaza stops,” Saree said. “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.”
Saree also identified the first ship as the Unity Explorer, which is owned by a British company whose officers include Dan David Ungar, who lives in Israel. The number 9 is associated with Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement.
The owner of the Sophie II, Kyowa Kisen of Imabari, Japan, told the Associated Press that the crew was safe and that the ship had suffered no serious damage. The managers of the other two ships were not immediately available for comment.
Israeli media identified Ungar as the son of Israeli shipping billionaire Abraham “Rami” Ungar.
“All parties who want to start a war are warned to stop the killing of women and children before it’s too late, a new round of which has begun,” Amirabdollahian said.
Iran’s top diplomat described his comments as coming after talks with “resistance forces” in the region – a description Tehran uses for the Shia militias it backs, including groups in Iraq, the Houthis and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, as well as the Sunni militants of Hamas. All have threatened or attacked Israel, Iran’s regional arch-rival, during the war.
The Houthis have launched a series of attacks on ships in the Red Sea, as well as firing drones and rockets at Israel. Analysts say the Houthis are hoping to shore up dwindling popular support after years of civil war in Yemen between them and Saudi-backed forces.
The US has stopped short of saying its Navy ships were targeted, but has said Houthi drones were heading towards the ships and were shot down in self-defence. Washington has so far declined to respond directly to the attacks, as has Israel, whose military continues to try to describe the ships as having no connection to their country.
Global shipping has been increasingly targeted as the Israel-Hamas war threatens to become a wider regional conflict – even as a ceasefire briefly halted fighting and Hamas exchanged hostages for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. But the collapse of the ceasefire and the resumption of punishing Israeli air strikes on Gaza and a ground offensive there have increased the risk of further maritime attacks.
In November, the Houthis seized a vehicle carrier also linked to Israel in the Red Sea off Yemen. The rebels are still holding the ship near the port city of Hodeida. Missiles also landed near another US warship last week after it assisted an Israeli-linked ship that was briefly seized by gunmen. Separately, a container ship owned by an Israeli billionaire was recently attacked by a suspected Iranian drone in the Indian Ocean.
The Houthis had not directly targeted the Americans for some time, further raising the stakes in the growing maritime conflict. In 2016, the US launched Tomahawk cruise missiles that destroyed three coastal radar sites in Houthi-controlled territory in retaliation for missiles fired at US Navy ships at the time.
