On Sunday morning, the Pentagon said that a U.S. warship and multiple commercial vessels were under attack in the Red Sea.
The attack signifies a potential escalation in a series of maritime attacks in the Middle East that is linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
“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 told The Associated Press.
The Pentagon did not reveal where the fire came from. However, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have launched several attacks on vessels in the Red Sea. It has also launched drones and missiles targeting Israel as the Jewish state continues its war against Hamas in Gaza.
The British military confirmed earlier in the day that there had been a suspected drone attack and explosions in the Red Sea but did not provide further details. The attack reportedly lasted for about five hours.
Saree did not mention any U.S. warship being involved in the attack. He said the raids would continue as long as Israel continues its war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
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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. Earlier 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. However, the Houthis had not 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.