Pentagon: US Warship Counters Houthi Drones in Red Sea

Facts

• US Central Command said Sunday that the USS Carney, a Navy destroyer, reportedly successfully intercepted and shot down three drones fired by Iran-backed Houthi rebels on three commercial vessels in the Red Sea. US Central Command stated there were a total of four attacks.¹
• While one missile fired from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen exploded near the UK-owned cargo ship Unity Explorer, another hit it, resulting in minor damage. Two other ships — the Panamanian-flagged bulk carriers Number 9 and Sophie II — also reported being struck by missiles.²
• US Central Command said the alleged Iran-enabled attacks not just 'jeopardized the lives of international crews' but also threatened 'international commerce and maritime security.' It warned the US will consider 'all appropriate responses.'³
• Later, the Yemeni armed forces claimed responsibility for targeting ships it claimed belonged to Israel, adding the Houthi military 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.'⁴
• The Israeli military has denied that the vessels attacked by Houthis — who are part of a self-described, Iran-led 'axis of resistance' — had had any connection to the state of Israel.⁵
• Sunday's attacks come after US armed forces reported ballistic missiles were fired from Yemen at USS Mason on Nov. 26 after the destroyer responded to a distress call from an Israeli-linked commercial vessel in the Gulf of Aden.⁶

Sources: ¹U.S. Central Command, ²Washington Post, ³CNN, ⁴CBS, ⁵BBC News and ⁶Navy Times.

Narratives

• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Al Jazeera. The Middle East is on the edge and the actions of the US and its allies are not helping. While provocation of any kind must be avoided, the responses must also be tempered. The region can't afford a widening of conflict beyond Gaza. De-escalation is the best way to bring down tempers, and Iran is the key here. Nudging the country through diplomacy towards defusing the situation is the only way out — not a military tit-for-tat.
• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Bloomberg. The Houthis, Iran's proxies, are a threat to the entire global economy as the region they exert their military influence on is crucial to international commerce. Sunday's attacks threatened ships with connections to 14 nations. The US, its allies, and the global community as a whole must robustly defend this aggression similarly to how it successfully addressed piracy in East African waters.

Predictions