TEHRAN - In another major development in the Israeli war on Gaza, the regime's ships and those owned by the countries allied to Tel Aviv have come under attack in the Bab al-Mandab strait in the Red Sea by Yemen's Ansarullah forces. 

According to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), four attacks took place against three ships on Sunday. 

Answering distress calls, the Pentagon dispatched its navy destroyer, the USS Carney, to try and help three ships, but USS Carney itself became a target for Ansarullah. 

A U.S. Navy destroyer came under attack in the Red Sea on Sunday, the Pentagon confirmed. 

A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press that the attacks began before 10am in the Yemeni capital Sana'a, and had gone on for as long as five hours. 

Israeli media reports say one of the targeted ships has been severely damaged and is on the verge of sinking, adding that this ship has been targeted by a cruise missile and a drone.

The Ansarullah government in Sana'a said its forces used long-range drones and naval ballistic missiles to conduct the operation, saying it struck two vessels after they ignored orders. 

One was hit by a missile and the second by a drone while in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. 

Ansarullah did not mention any U.S. warship being involved.

The vessels that have been reportedly targeted include a Panamanian-flagged large container ship called Number Nine, the Bahamas-flagged bulk carrier Unity Explorer, Sophie II, as well as the USS Carney. 

In a televised statement, Ansarullah's military spokesman, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, claimed two of the ships without mentioning the USS Carney.

He said, "In implementation of the directives of Commander Abdul-Malik Badr al-Din al-Houthi and in response to the demands of our great Yemeni people and the calls of the free people of our Arab and Islamic nation to stand fully with the choices of the Palestinian people and their proud resistance. This morning, the naval forces of the Yemeni Armed Forces, with the help of God Almighty, carried out a targeting operation against two Israeli ships in Bab al-Mandab, namely the “Unity Explorer” ship and the “Number Nine” ship. The first ship was targeted with a naval missile and the second ship with a naval drone."

General Saree added, "The Yemeni armed forces continue to prevent Israeli ships from navigating the Red Sea until the Israeli aggression against our steadfast brothers in the Gaza Strip stops.

"The Yemeni armed forces renew their warning to all Israeli ships or those associated with Israelis that they will become a legitimate target if they violate what is stated in this statement."

The targeting operation came after the two ships rejected warning messages from the Yemeni naval forces.

Unity Explorer, a bulk carrier, is owned by a British company that includes Israeli/British Dan David Ungar, who lives in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories and is one of its officers. 

Experts say Yemen has been conducting background checks on ships sailing through the Red Sea and has been careful to attack only Israeli-linked vessels. 

Reading between the lines of the statement by Saree, he warned, "All ships associated with Israelis will become legitimate targets".

It outlines any ships that have links to the Israelis are targets. (This has been the initial position of Ansarullah toward Israeli ships since the Israeli war on Gaza started.) 

It may set out a new development by Ansarullah, where countries who are staunch allies of the Israeli regime will also see their ships within the range of Yemeni missiles and drones. 

Ansarullah has confirmed that the two ships it targeted are Israeli-linked. Reports suggest that Sophie II was also a target.

Sophie II is a British-owned ship and may have links to the Israeli regime or the attack on it may have come on the backdrop of the British government's announcement that it is assisting the indiscriminate Israeli war on Gaza with drone surveillance flights over the besieged Palestinian territory. 

The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency, run by Britain’s Royal Navy, confirmed it had received reports of a drone attack in the Bab al-Mandab strait. 

The agency also reported drone activity that originated from Yemen, as well as an explosion. 
U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity "because of the sensitivity of the issue", have been cited by American media as saying USS Carney had observed a missile being flown in the direction of the Unity Explorer.

They also claim USS Carney managed to shoot down a drone heading towards it while in the southern Red Sea.

From day one, the U.S. has been complicit in the Israeli war on Gaza and is strongly "associated with Israelis".

One U.S. official said, "Multiple commercial vessels in the Red Sea were attacked by (Ansarullah) missiles" over several hours. 

There are strong suggestions that the container ship Number Nine had suffered severe damage from a drone attack about 101 kilometers northwest of the northern Yemeni port of Hodeidah and is on the verge of sinking in the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

Earlier, it reported drone activity that originated from Yemen, as well as a possible explosion. 
The Bab al-Mandab, which Yemen largely controls, is of utmost significance in the maritime trade route.
It is a very strategic waterway connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.

And there is no secret that the tiny 32-kilometer strait is as important to the Israeli regime as it is to many in the Western community to import natural resources, in particular oil and gas as well as other vital commodities from West Asia. 

Ansarullah controls most of Yemen's Red Sea coast. 

It has previously fired ballistic missiles and armed drones at Israeli military sites inside the occupied Palestinian territories and vowed to target more Israeli vessels. 

A series of attacks have been reported in the Red Sea waters since the Israeli war on Gaza broke out.

Last month, an Israeli-linked cargo ship was seized by Ansarullah's naval forces.

A fortnight ago, Ansarullah released footage of its naval forces seizing the Galaxy Leader, an Israeli-owned cargo ship, after landing a helicopter on deck. 

A week later, a U.S. Navy warship responded to a distress call from an Israeli-managed commercial tanker in the Gulf of Aden after it had been seized by armed individuals.

In the incident, two ballistic missiles were fired from Yemen toward the location of two ships. 

Reports suggest the Israeli regime has sent several frigates and submarines to the Red Sea. 

The Hebrew newspaper Ma'ariv reported that the regime has decided to send some frigates and submarines to the Red Sea region.

What's clear is that the heavy U.S. Navy presence in the Red Sea has been unable to prevent attacks from Yemen towards Israeli ships. 

It is unlikely Israeli frigates can do the job. 

Rather, they may offer Ansarullah more targets.