Yemeni rebels attack 3 vessels in Red Sea
The US military said on December 3 that three commercial vessels came under attack in international waters, according to The Guardian.
Yemen’s Houthis, an Islamist political and military organisation claimed responsibility for two of the drone and missile attacks on Israeli ships.
Washington claimed that the vessels attacked were Israeli ships Unity Explorer and Number 9. The third was Sophie II, a vessel registered in Panama.
US destroyer, The Carney, who according to the Central Command shot three Yemeni drones down in a mission assisting the beleaguered ships, responded to calls and were the first made aware of the bombings coming from Houthi-controlled territory as well as naming the vessels affected.
The US Central Command said in a statement that “Today there were four attacks against three separate commercial vessels operating in international waters in the southern Red Sea.
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“We have every reason to believe that these attacks, while launched by the Houthis in Yemen, are fully enabled by Iran.” .
The spokesperson of the Yemeni militants said in a broadcast that these attacks were carried out in response to the wishes of the people of Yemen, in opposition to the Israeli state and in solidarity with the Palestinian people which has been called for by Islamic nations.
In response, Israel’s military spokesperson Daniel Hagari stressed that the ships had no relation to Israel and commented on the blast.
He said, “One ship was significantly damaged and it is in distress and apparently is in danger of sinking and another ship was lightly damaged.”
The Central Command said Unity Explorer is Bahamas-flagged and UK-owned and that Number 9 is Panamanian-flagged, Bermuda- and UK-owned and operated.
The Guardian/NPR
