US negotiates to set up task force to protect commercial ships in Red Sea

The proposal to create a new task force, distinct from the long-running counter-piracy Task Force 51, was made after attacks on two commercial vessels in the Red Sea on December 3. Adviser Jake Sullivan hinted at the talks at a White House briefing, but declined to elaborate.

The USNI News website reported that on December 3, the destroyer USS Carney shot down drones launched from areas controlled by Houthi forces in Yemen. Previously, the US warship received emergency messages from three commercial vessels in the Red Sea. Not long ago, the Houthis announced that they were targeting ships linked to Israel.

However, Mr. Sullivan said these three commercial vessels had links to 14 different countries.

Writing on social network X, Yahya Sare'e, a spokesman for the Houthi forces, said the force attacked the Unity Explorer with an anti-ship missile and the Number 9 with a drone. One ship was severely damaged and in danger of sinking, while the other was slightly damaged.

Sare'e also confirmed that both ships were linked to Israel. He said the Unity Explorer was owned by a British company but was linked to Dan David Ungar, the son of billionaire Abraham "Rami" Ungar, whose cargo ship had also been seized.

According to a Houthi spokesman, the two ships Unity Explorer and Number 9 were targeted after ignoring warnings from the Houthi navy.

Yemen's state news agency Saba also confirmed the Houthis' capture of the Galaxy Leader.

Meanwhile, Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari confirmed that the country had no connection with the two ships that were recently attacked by Yemen's Houthi movement.

USS Carney is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer operating in the Red Sea on a mission to intercept missiles fired by the Houthis towards Israel.

Ships are increasingly being targeted as the Israel-Hamas war threatens to spiral into a wider regional conflict. The collapse of the ceasefire and the resumption of Israeli air strikes and ground offensives have increased the risk of repeated attacks at sea.

Although Houthi forces have targeted ships linked to Israel, or ships believed to be linked to Israel, and fired cruise missiles at the country, the Pentagon continues to emphasize that the conflict between Israel and Hamas has not spread to the Middle East.