Pentagon: Somali Pirates Suspected in Recent Middle East Ship Attacks

The Pentagon has confirmed that the armed individuals who attacked a commercial vessel in the Gulf of Aden were from Somalia, and the incident is believed to be piracy-related. The USS Mason and allied ships responded to the distress call and demanded the release of the civilian vessel, which was eventually freed. The attackers fled aboard a small boat but were apprehended by the U.S. Navy. Two ballistic missiles were later fired from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen towards the general location of the Mason, but they landed harmlessly. The Pentagon is still assessing whether the Mason was the intended target.