A U.S. destroyer shot down three drones on Sunday and provided assistance to merchant ships in the Red Sea that were the target of attacks from Yemen, announced the joint command of the U.S. armed forces responsible for the Middle East region (CENTCOM, “central command”).

“Today (Sunday), there were four attacks against three merchant ships in international waters in the southern Red Sea,” CENTCOM said in a statement.

“The Arleigh Burke-class cruiser USS Carney responded to the ships’ distress calls and provided assistance,” while shooting down three UAVs moving in its direction during the day.

The USS Carney detected a missile, which was fired from a Houthi-controlled area of ​​Yemen adjacent to Iran, and landed near the Bahamas-registered Unity Explorer. The ship later reported that it suffered minor damage from another missile, also fired from an area controlled by the Shiite rebels.

The Panamanian-flagged bulk carrier Number 9 also reported damage by a missile fired from Yemen, but there were no casualties.

The Sophie II, also registered in Panama, also reported being hit, but not seriously damaged.

Earlier, the Houthis reported via social networking sites that they had conducted “an operation against two Israeli ships in the Strait of Bab el Madeb”, a strategic sea route that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, hitting the former “with a missile” and the latter ” with a drone”.

“Immediate Threat”

According to the announcement, the ships were the Unity Explorer and Number 9. The text clarifies that the attacks took place after these vessels “defied warnings” from the Houthis.

The Shiite rebels said they would continue to target Israeli ships “until the Israeli attack on our brothers in the Gaza Strip stops”.

Maritime security company Ambrey said a British merchant ship registered in the Bahamas was hit by a missile in the Red Sea.

According to Ambrey, the ship belongs to Dan David Ungar, a businessman with dual British and Israeli citizenship.

CENTCOM deemed the attacks an “imminent threat to international trade and the security of navigation.”

“We also have every reason to believe that these attacks, although being launched by the Houthis in Yemen, are being funded entirely by Iran,” CENTCOM added.

The US “will consider all appropriate responses in full coordination with its international allies and partners,” according to the “central command” press release.