Ballistic missiles fired by Yemen's Houthi rebels struck three commercial ships Sunday in the Red Sea, while a U.S. warship shot down three drones in self-defense during the hourslong assault, the U.S.

A US warship engaged and shot down three drones after three commercial vessels came under attack in the Red Sea, US Central Command has said. It said the USS Carney assisted the ships - which had links to 14 nations including the UK - on Sunday after they were targeted from areas of Yemen held by Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

US military says the destroyer Carney shot down three drones as US Central Command says they believe attacks ‘fully enabled by Iran’

Missiles which hit the Unity Explorer and Number 9 were reportedly fired from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen

A US warship opened fire in defence of a British merchant ship and two other commercial vessels targeted in a drone and missile assault yesterday in the Red Sea. According to a statement from US Central Command,

The strikes marked an 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.