US destroyer shoots down drones as Houthi attacks from Yemen hit Red Sea shipping

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Commercial ships came under attack Sunday by drones and missiles in the Red Sea and a US warship there opened fire in self-defense as part of an hours-long assault claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, officials said.

The attack potentially marked a major 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.

“Today, there were four attacks against three separate commercial vessels operating in international waters in the southern Red Sea,” CENTCOM said in a statement later Sunday.

“The Arleigh-Burke Class destroyer USS Carney responded to the distress calls from the ships and provided assistance,” and shot down three drones that were heading for the warship during the day, the statement said.

The Carney is an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer that has already shot down multiple rockets the Houthis have fired toward Israel so far in the war. READ MORE