Three commercial ships came under attack in the international waters of the Red Sea on Sunday, U.S. military officials said -- as Houthi militants claimed responsibility for the latest incursion in the Middle East, where tensions have been high since the Israel-Hamas war began.
"These attacks represent a direct threat to international commerce and maritime security," U.S. Central Command said in a statement. "They have jeopardized the lives of international crews representing multiple countries around the world."
A major shipping lane runs through the sea, between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.
Since Hamas' Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel sparked the war, there have been a number of missile attacks from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen on ships in the Red Sea, the Pentagon has said.
Officials on Sunday laid blame with Iran.
"We ... have every reason to believe that these attacks, while launched by the Houthis in Yemen, are fully enabled by Iran. The United States will consider all appropriate responses in full coordination with its international allies and partners," CENTCOM said.
U.S. forces have been repeatedly attacked by Iran-backed proxies in Iraq and Syria since the Israel-Hamas war began, according to the Pentagon, and American forces have carried out multiple retaliatory strikes as a result.
The three commercial ships, or merchant vessels, were identified in Sunday's statement as the Unity Explorer, which is U.K.-owned but flagged (or registered) in the Bahamas; the Number 9, which is flagged in Panama and owned and operated in Bermuda and the U.K.; and the Sophie II, which is also registered in Panama.
The missile attacks were carried out over the course of more than seven hours on Sunday, according to CENTCOM: first on the Unity Explorer, though that missile detonated nearby; and a second time on the Unity Explorer, which took "minor damage" from that strike. The Number 9 was then struck by a missile and about an hour later, the Sophie II was also hit.
No casualties were reported, according to CENTCOM.
The USS Carney, a Navy destroyer that has been patrolling in the area, intercepted and shot down three drones while assisting the vessels on Sunday, CENTCOM said. At least one of those was from Houthi areas of Yemen.
The warship took no damage. It's not clear if the Carney -- which has downed multiple such munitions in the previous weeks -- was the intended target of the drones.
In a statement, the Houthis said they had targeted two of the commercial ships because they were linked to Israelis and had "rejected warning messages" from Houthi forces.
The Houthis will "continue to prevent Israeli ships from navigating the Red and Arab Seas until the Israeli aggression against our steadfast brothers in the Gaza Strip stops," according to their statement, referring to the conflict with Hamas after its terror attack.
Houthi Attack on Commercial Ships in Red Sea a Warning to Israel and US - Experts
Three Bahama- and Panama-flagged commercial vessels, allegedly belonging to Jewish businessmen, were subjected to a Houthi missile attack in the Red Sea on Sunday. A US warship in the region reportedly shot down three drones in self-defense.
A recent escalation of tensions in the Red Sea has come on the heels of the resumption of the military operation in Gaza by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
The Red Sea is considered one of the most important trade routes in the region. It extends southeastward from Suez, Egypt, to the Indian Ocean through the Bab el Mandeb sound and the Gulf of Aden. Over 10% of global trade passes through the Red Sea annually. On Sunday, multiple commercial vessels were simultaneously attacked by Houthi militants for the first time in the Israel-Hamas war.
"The Red Sea could become a more dangerous route, but in proportion with the increasing tension between Israel and Hamas on one side at a local level and also at a regional level between Iranian allies from Lebanon and Syria, Iraq and Israel itself and the US military bases in Syria and Iraq. Everything is connected," Dr. Lorenzo Trombetta said, a Beirut-based scholar and analyst specializing on the Middle East.
"Both of the cargo ships targeted by the Houthi in November and a few days ago were not Israeli-flagged ships, but they were owned by Israeli businessmen. That was the aim of the direct target of the pro-Iranian government," the scholar continued.
Last month, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah linked Shiite attacks on US military bases and personnel in Syria and Iraq to the unfolding Gaza war. "To the Americans, I say: If you want the secondary fronts to stop, you must cease the aggression on Gaza," he said on November 11. On November 20, Houthi rebels seized an Israeli-linked cargo ship that passed the Red Sea and took its 25 crew members hostage. During the week-long truce between Israel and Islamist Palestinian group Hamas militants across the region appeared to hit the pause button. However, after the humanitarian pause ended, tensions have grown even higher.
"I believe that these developments in the Red Sea region come within a broader context of threats from armed groups and forces sympathetic with the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank," Ambassador Ezzat Saad, director of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, told Sputnik. "It is normal that these developments raise concern for the countries of the region as well as the international community at large, taking into account the geo-strategic importance of the sea."
Per Saad, one might expect that Houthi and Shiite militants are likely to proceed with their attacks as long as the US-backed Israeli military is continuing their operation in Gaza. He doesn't rule out that the situation may run out of control if the number of civilian casualties continues to grow in the strip. For its part, the Israeli government has made it clear that it is determined to eradicate Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization by Tel Aviv. Israeli policy-makers argue that the Islamist group is using Palestinians in Gaza as "human shields" while launching attacks from the strip. At the same time, Israel has come under criticism from Arab states and the UN over the skyrocketing death toll among civilians. As Tel Aviv and Washington don't demonstrate any inclination to scale down the intensity of military actions, the situation on the ground is deteriorating.
"We should say that the Red Sea route could be more or less safe, or commercial vessels not directly linked with the Middle Eastern war not directly linked with Israel or the United States. While, of course, they could become a target in case they are linked to Israel. Of course, in this tense situation, when the war, the battled war, when the use of weapons is increasing in the Red Sea, especially close to the Hudaydah Yemen port in the stand of the pro-Iranian government, of course, all the commercial vessels should be should be very cautious traveling along this route. So this route is becoming more dangerous. But it doesn't mean that the route is an open theater to war," Trombetta concluded.
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