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John Kirby (Credit: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The White House said on Sunday it did not seek a wider Middle East conflict after US helicopters sank three Houthi ships in the Red Sea after they came under attack.

Helicopters have sunk ships and killed people on board, marking the first time the US has killed members of the Iran-backed Houthi rebel group since tensions flared earlier this year, which have been attacking merchant ships and merchants in the Red Sea. .

The US has so far avoided directly attacking the group in Yemen as it seeks to avoid further escalation of the crisis.

But a National Security Council spokesman said Sunday that the U.S. will continue to act on its own defenses.

“We're not looking for a broader conflict in the region, we're not looking for a conflict with the Houthis. The best outcome here is for the Houthis to stop these attacks, as we've made clear over and over again,” spokesman John Kirby said. ABC News said.

More on the latest Houthi attack: Four small boats from Yemen's Houthi-controlled areas attacked the Maersk Hangzhou with small arms on Saturday and tried to board the merchant ship, according to a statement from US Central Command, which said a security team on board opened fire. .

CENTCOM reports that USS Eisenhower and USS Gravely helicopters responded to Maersk Hangzhou's distress call (the second in less than 24 hours) and came under fire from Houthi ships.

“US Navy helicopters returned fire defensively, sinking three of the four small boats and killing their crews. The fourth boat left the area,” the report said, “and the crew were uninjured.” Or not for the American. Team.

More background: The Houthis say they are acting in solidarity with Hamas and have carried out dozens of attacks on merchant ships since October 7. The US has sent warships to the Red Sea to bolster security along the vital global shipping lane.

While U.S. President Joe Biden has authorized strikes against other Iran-allied groups that have attacked U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria, he has stopped short of attacking the Houthis in Yemen.

“We have important national security interests in our own region, the United States, and we're going to put the kind of forces we need in the region to protect those interests, and we're going to act in our defense,” Kirby said.

Asked about the possibility of a preemptive strike in the region, Kirby reiterated the White House's position: “We have not ruled anything out, but we have made it clear publicly to the Houthis and privately to our allies and partners in the region. We take these threats seriously and will make the appropriate decisions.”