A spokeswoman for the US Defense Department said that drones shot down by a warship that was responding to attacks on merchant shipping were not targetting the destroyer.
And Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said the attacks by the Houthi government in Yemen are not a sign the war between Israel and Hamas is becoming a regional conflict.
Her comments came a day after US Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, confirmed that missiles were fired at three vessels in the Red Sea from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen.
The guided-missile destroyer USS Carney also destroyed three drones that were headed in its direction as it responded to the ships.
Asked by a reporter why the US has not taken action against the Houthis, an Iranian-backed militant group that controls Yemen’s northwest, Singh said the initial assessment is that the Carney was not the intended target.
“The Carney took action as a drone was headed in its direction, but again, we can’t assess that the Carney, at this time, was the intended target,” she said.
“If we decide to take action against the Houthis, it will of course be at a time and place of our choosing. I won’t get ahead of the [defence] secretary. I won’t get ahead of the President on any actions, but we always reserve the right to respond.”
She drew a line between the conflict in Israel and Gaza and what is happening in the Red Sea and other parts of the Middle East where the US military has come under fire.
“There are attacks on US forces. There are attacks on commercial vessels,” Singh said. “It’s important to note that this conflict has not widened out into a regional conflict.”
Meanwhile, UK defence minister Grant Schapps condemned Houthi attacks on shipping in the Middle East, pointing to the recent move to send a British destroyer to safeguard trade in the region.
That came a day after a bulker owned by London-based Unity Maritime was the target of two attacks from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen.
“The UK is committed to protecting maritime security and deterring escalation, with HMS Diamond deploying to the region as part of the UK’s efforts to ensure regional stability,” he said.
