XPost: misc.transport.marine, alt.politics.republicans, alt.fan.rush-limbaugh   
   XPost: talk.politics.guns, sac.politics   
   From: yourdime@outlook.com   
      
   DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Ballistic missiles fired by Yemen's   
   Houthi rebels struck three commercial ships Sunday in the Red Sea, while a   
   U.S. warship shot down three drones in self-defense during the hourslong   
   assault, the U.S. military said. The Iranian-backed Houthis claimed two of   
   the attacks.   
      
   The strikes marked an escalation in a series of maritime attacks in the   
   Mideast linked to the Israel-Hamas war, as multiple vessels found   
   themselves in the crosshairs of a single Houthi assault for the first time   
   in the conflict. The U.S. vowed to “consider all appropriate responses” in   
   the wake of the attack, specifically calling out Iran, after tensions have   
   been high for years now over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program.   
      
   “These attacks represent a direct threat to international commerce and   
   maritime security,” the U.S. military's Central Command said in a   
   statement. “They have jeopardized 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 around 9:15 a.m. 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 U.S. said. Shortly afterward,   
   the Carney shot down a drone headed its way, 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 commercial ships, the Panamanian-flagged bulk carriers Number 9   
   and Sophie II, were both struck 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 around 4:30 p.m. local time (1330   
   GMT), the Carney shot down another drone heading in its direction. The   
   drones did no damage.   
      
   The Carney, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, has shot down   
   multiple rockets the Houthis have fired toward Israel during that nation's   
   war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. It hasn't been damaged in any of the   
   incidents and no injuries have been reported on board. The Defense   
   Department initially described the assault as simply an attack on the   
   Carney before providing more details.   
      
   Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. 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 links the Red Sea to the   
   Gulf of Aden. Saree did not mention any U.S. warship being involved.   
      
   “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,” 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 vessel as the Unity Explorer, which is   
   owned by a British firm that includes Dan David Ungar, who lives in   
   Israel, as one of its officers. The Number 9 is linked to Bernhard Schulte   
   Shipmanagement.   
      
   The Sophie II's owner, Kyowa Kisen of Imabari, Japan, told The Associated   
   Press that the ship's crew were safe and the vessel did not sustain   
   serious damage. Managers for the two other ships could not be immediately   
   reached for comment.   
      
   Israeli media identified Ungar as being the son of Israeli shipping   
   billionaire Abraham “Rami” Ungar.   
      
   Iran has yet to directly address the attacks. However, Iranian Foreign   
   Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian threatened “that if the current situation   
   continues, the region will enter a new phase” over the Israel-Hamas war.   
      
   “All parties who are after igniting a war are warned, before it’s too late   
   stop the killing of women and children, of which a new round has started,"   
   Amirabdollahian said.   
      
   Iran's top diplomat described his comments as coming after conversations   
   with “resistance forces” in the region — a description Tehran uses for the   
   Shiite militias it backs, including groups in Iraq, the Houthis and   
   Lebanon's Hezbollah, as well as the Sunni fighters of Hamas. All have   
   threatened or attacked Israel, Iran's regional archrival, during the war.   
      
   The Houthis have launched a series of attacks on vessels in the Red Sea,   
   as well as launching drones and missiles targeting Israel. Analysts   
   suggest the Houthis hope to shore up waning popular support after years of   
   civil war in Yemen between it and Saudi-backed forces.   
      
   The U.S. has stopped short of saying its Navy ships were targeted, but has   
   said Houthi drones have headed toward the ships and have been shot down in   
   self-defense. Washington so far has declined to directly respond to the   
   attacks, as has Israel, whose military continues to try to describe the   
   ships as not having links to their country.   
      
   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 on Gaza and a ground offensive there had   
   raised the risk of more seaborne attacks.   
      
   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. Separately, a container ship owned by an Israeli   
   billionaire recently came under attack 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 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.   
      
   https://news.yahoo.com/pentagon-says-us-warship-multiple-155851709.html   
      
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