Maritime Attack in the Red Sea Raises Concerns Amidst Ongoing Conflict In a significant escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, commercial ships faced an attack by drones and missiles in the Red Sea on Sunday. The assault, claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, saw a U.S. warship open fire in self-defense. This marks a disturbing development as multiple vessels found themselves targeted in a single Houthi assault for the first time in the conflict. The U.S. Department of Defense acknowledged the reports of the attack on the USS Carney and commercial vessels in the Red Sea and assured that information would be provided as it becomes available. The USS Carney, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, has already intercepted several rockets fired by the Houthis towards Israel during the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. Thankfully, the ship was undamaged, and there were no reported injuries to personnel on board. According to a U.S. official, the Carney responded to a distress call from the Bahamas-flagged bulk carrier Unity Explorer, reporting an attack by missile fire. During the incident, the Carney successfully shot down two drones, one in self-defense and another after verifying the safety of the Unity Explorer. The impact on the Unity Explorer is still being assessed. Earlier, the British military had reported a suspected drone attack and explosions in the Red Sea without providing further details. The exact source of the attack has not been identified by the Defense Department. However, Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed responsibility, stating that one vessel was hit by a missile and the other by a drone in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. Saree did not mention any involvement of a U.S. warship in the attack. He emphasized that the Yemeni armed forces would continue to prevent Israeli ships from navigating the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden until the Israeli aggression against Gaza ceases. Saree warned that any violation of this statement would make Israeli ships or those associated with them legitimate targets. The vessels targeted in the attack were identified as the Unity Explorer, owned by a British firm with officer Dan David Ungar, who resides in Israel, and a Panamanian-flagged container ship called Number 9, connected to Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement. Managers of the vessels were unavailable for comment at the time of reporting. The Houthis have been carrying out a series of attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, alongside launching drones and missiles targeting Israel during the ongoing conflict. While global shipping has increasingly become a target as the Israel-Hamas war threatens to escalate into a wider regional conflict, a truce briefly halted the fighting, allowing for the exchange of hostages and prisoners. However, with the collapse of the truce and the resumption of Israeli airstrikes and ground offensive, the risk of seaborne attacks has heightened. It is worth noting that the Houthis had not directly targeted Americans for some time, raising concerns about the growing maritime conflict. In 2016, the U.S. launched retaliatory Tomahawk cruise missiles that destroyed three radar sites in Houthi-controlled territory after missiles were fired at U.S. Navy ships. As the situation unfolds, it is essential for international authorities to address the escalating maritime conflict in the region and take measures to ensure the safety of commercial vessels and the security of the Red Sea. The implications of these attacks on global trade and regional stability cannot be understated, and a concerted effort is needed to de-escalate tensions and bring about a peaceful resolution to the conflict.