A US warship and multiple commercial vessels were attacked in the Red Sea on Sunday, the Pentagon said — a frightening development ratcheting up maritime tensions in the Middle East during the Israel-Hamas war. 

The USS Carney — which previously shot down missiles and drones aimed at it as it escorted a commercial vessel through the war-torn region — was targeted along with at least two other commercial ships starting around 10 a.m. local time in an assault that lasted about five hours, the Pentagon and an unnamed US official said, according to The Associated Press. It was not immediately clear whether the American warship was struck.

“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,” the Pentagon said in a statement.

US officials did not identify where the military fire came from, although they added that the Carney shot down at least one drone Sunday.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels — who have proclaimed they would attack ships on the Red Sea over Israeli’s ground incursion into Gaza — later acknowledged that they had targeted two Israeli commercial ships Sunday but did not mention the US Navy vessel.

The rebel group claimed it had aimed for two commercial vessels, the Unity Explorer and Number Nine, because the ships failed to heed warnings to get out of the region.

At least one commercial vessel was known to be hit Sunday, a ship belonging to a British company owned by Danny Ungar, the son of Israeli shipping magnate Rami Ungar.

The US Navy destroyer previously engaged with the rebel group Wednesday when it took out a drone launched from Yemen, according to Fox News. 

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