Just when you thought the Middle East couldn’t get any hotter, it proves us wrong yet again! A recent attack in the Red Sea has ruffled some feathers at the Pentagon and left us all wondering, “What in Uncle Sam’s name is going on over there?”
Picture this: an American destroyer, the USS Carney, and several commercial vessels peacefully cruising through the Red Sea. Suddenly, they find themselves under attack. Not exactly the Sunday cruise they had in mind, right?
The Pentagon, ever the master of understatement, acknowledged the incident with a coy, “We’re aware of reports regarding attacks on the USS Carney and commercial vessels in the Red Sea and will provide information as it becomes available.” Well, thanks for that, guys. We’ll be waiting.
Now, who’s to blame for this maritime mayhem? The usual suspects, it seems. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have been making quite a splash in the Red Sea, launching attacks on ships and firing drones and missiles toward Israel as it grapples with Hamas. It’s like a real-life game of Battleship, except with actual lives at stake.
This isn’t the first time the Houthis have caused trouble. Earlier in November, they captured a vehicle transport ship related to Israel. They’ve also had a run-in with another US warship after it helped an Israeli-linked vessel that had been briefly hijacked.
So, what does all this mean? For one, it’s a stark reminder that global commerce is becoming an increasingly attractive target as regional conflicts escalate. It also raises the stakes in the maritime confrontation, especially since the Houthis haven’t directly attacked Americans in quite some time.
In 2016, in response to attacks on warships, the USS Mason deployed Tomahawk cruise missiles that destroyed three coastal radar installations in Houthi-controlled territory. Will history repeat itself? Only time will tell. In the meantime, we can only hope that cooler heads will prevail and that these waters will calm down soon.
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