Another Mayport-based Navy vessel has been in a shootout with supporters of Arab terrorists in the Gaza Strip.
Commercial ships came under attack by drones and missiles in the Red Sea and the USS Carney opened fire in self-defense, according to the Associated Press and other media.
The Carney, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, wasn’t damaged in the attack and no injuries were reported on board, a U.S. official said.
The Carney responded after hearing from the Bahamas-flagged bulk carrier Unity Explorer that it was under attack by missile fire, the official said. The Carney reportedly shot down two attack drones launched from Yemen that were approaching the ship. After shooting down the drones, the ship responded to a distress call by commercial ships in the area which were under attack by ballistic missiles launched from Yemen. The entire incident lasted five hours.
Days earlier, the USS Mason, another destroyer based at Mayport, was the apparent target of missile fired from Yemen that fell short after sailors from the Mason captured five men who had hijacked the cargo ship M/V Central Park.
Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed responsibility for the attacks, according to the AP.
The Houthis are supported and supplied with weapons by Iran, including cruise missiles, surface-to-air missiles and drones. They have been launching attacks on vessels in the Red Sea and Israel.
In October, the Carney shot down three cruse missiles and several drones fired at Israel by the Houthis.
In 2016, the U.S. launched Tomahawk cruise missiles that destroyed three coastal radar sites in Houthi-controlled territory after missiles were fired at U.S. Navy ships.
The attacks from Yemen indicate how the violence unleashed Oct. 7 by Arab barbarians who invaded Israel and murder 1,300 people could spread through the region unless Israel is able to finish exterminating the terrorists.
A truce briefly halted fighting and Hamas exchanged hostages for Arab prisoners held by Israel. However, the collapse of the truce and the resumption of Israeli airstrikes and its ground offensive there has elevated the risk of seaborne attacks resuming.
