Sana’a – A significant escalation occurred in the ongoing Gaza conflict as the Pentagon reported attacks on at least three commercial vessels and a US warship in the Red Sea.

Amid intensified Israeli assaults on Gaza, the Yemeni military retaliated against what they perceive as US-supported Israeli aggression. Ballistic missiles were launched, striking three commercial ships in the Red Sea. Simultaneously, a US warship faced an attack and responded in kind.

These missile strikes on vessels in the Red Sea mark a worrying advancement in a series of maritime assaults. Washington is now assessing suitable responses to these attacks as tensions persist in the region.

The vessels targeted reportedly include the Unity Explorer and Number Nine, with a container ship sustaining damage from a drone attack.

Yemeni fighters have been employing drones and missiles to target Israel in response to its ongoing bombardment of Gaza.

In a separate incident, Houthi rebels seized an Israeli vehicle transport ship in the Red Sea.

The situation in Gaza remains dire, with reports from Gaza’s official media indicating that over 700 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds wounded in Israeli airstrikes within a 24-hour period. Israel’s occupation forces have reportedly caused over 16,000 Palestinian casualties, predominantly women and children, since a series of attacks initiated by Hamas on October 7. The ongoing Israeli bombing campaign has displaced 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza.

Despite the alarming situation, the West and the United States have remained largely silent on the Gaza crisis. Israel’s military chief of staff has asserted that the army’s operation in southern Gaza will mirror its earlier offensive against Hamas in the northern part of the Palestinian enclave.