Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea attacked U.S. Navy helicopters before the U.S. aircraft sank several of the rebel-operated boats, the said on Sunday. A commercial cargo vessel, the , had issued a distress call, saying it was under attack from four Houthi small boats at around 6:30 a.m. local time (10:30 p.m. ET Saturday), The container ship had issued another distress call within the past 24 hours, the military said. U.S. helicopters from the aircraft carrier and the , an Arleigh Burke-class warship, responded to the call, and attempted to communicate with the small boats before the vessels "fired upon the U.S. helicopters with crew served weapons and small arms," CENTCOM said. The U.S. helicopters sank three out of the four Houthi small boats, and killed the onboard crew members, according to the U.S. military. The fourth boat "fled the area," CENTCOM added. "There was no damage to U.S. personnel or equipment." Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground. Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.