军方官员说，美国海军直升机周日在红海进行了还击，并击沉了三艘载有胡塞武装分子的小船，此前美国军舰回应了一艘商船的求救信号。

美国中央司令部在一份声明中说，当地时间早上6点30分左右，一艘悬挂新加坡国旗的马士基集装箱船杭州号发出了求救信号声明周日。这艘商船称有四艘小船正在攻击它。

“这些来自也门胡塞武装控制区的小船向马士基杭州号发射了协同操作的小型武器，接近船只20米以内，并试图登船，”中央司令部表示。

美国官员说，两艘美国军舰艾森豪威尔号(USS Eisenhower)和格雷夫利号(USS Gravely)的直升机做出了回应，并向这些小船发出了口头呼叫。

在这张由美国中央司令部发布到社交媒体上的照片中，显示了美国海军军舰格勒夫利号。

美国中央司令部

中央司令部说，虽然直升机“正在向小船发出口头呼叫，但小船用船员提供的武器和轻武器向美国直升机开火”。

美国官员说，海军直升机上的服役人员还击，击沉了四艘小船中的三艘，杀死了船员。第四艘船逃离了该地区。

在周日的一份声明中，胡塞武装组织表示，在美国军队向他们的船只开火后，他们失去了10名组织成员，称这次交战是“危险的行为”，将产生“负面影响”

该组织还表示，将继续在红海开展业务。“美国的敌人承担了这一罪行的后果及其影响，”该组织部分表示。

该组织还重申，它将“毫不犹豫地面对任何针对也门的侵略”，并再次“建议所有国家不要被卷入美国旨在点燃红海冲突的计划。”

美国国家安全委员会发言人约翰·柯比周日在“早安美国”节目中说，美国不寻求使冲突升级。

“我们不寻求在该地区发生更大的冲突，我们也不寻求与胡塞人发生冲突，”柯比告诉美国广播公司新闻的惠特·约翰逊。“正如我们一再表明的那样，这里最好的结果将是胡塞武装停止这些袭击。”

美国海军官员说，周日的事件是杭州号在24小时内第二次发出求救信号。

马士基发言人告诉ABC新闻，这艘船周六晚上在也门Al Hudaydah西南约55海里处行驶，当时它被一个不明物体击中。

这艘装载了14，000个集装箱的船只随后继续向北，驶向其目的地埃及苏伊士港。

“马士基还可以证实，在最初袭击船只后，四艘船靠近船只并开火，试图登船，”马士基发言人Adhish Alawani说。

他说，由于事件正在调查中，马士基已经推迟了未来48小时通过该地区的所有运输。

柯比强调了红海航运走廊的重要性，以及保持其安全和对国际商业开放的迫切需要。

当被问及先发制人的打击是否可行时，柯比说:“我们不排除任何可能性。”

“我们已经向胡塞人公开表明了这一点，并私下向我们的盟友和合作伙伴表明了这一点，我们将继续做出正确的决定，”他补充说。

US Navy sinks 3 Houthi boats attacking merchant ship in Red Sea, US says

U.S. Navy helicopters returned fire and sank three small boats carrying Houthi militants in the Red Sea on Sunday, after U.S. warships responded to a distress call from a merchant vessel, military officials said.

A Maersk container ship, the Singapore-flagged Hangzhou, issued a distress call at about 6:30 a.m. local time, U.S. Central Command said in astatementon Sunday. The merchant vessel said four small boats were attacking it.

"The small boats, originating from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, fired crew-served and small-arms weapons at the Maersk Hangzhou, getting to within 20 meters of the vessel, and attempted to board the vessel," Central Command said.

Helicopters from two U.S. ships -- the USS Eisenhower and the USS Gravely -- responded and issued verbal calls to the small boats, U.S. officials said.

While the helicopters were "in the process of issuing verbal calls to the small boats, the small boats fired upon the U.S. helicopters with crew served weapons and small arms," Central Command said.

Service members aboard the Navy helicopters returned fire and sank three of the four small boats, killing the crews, U.S. officials said. The fourth boat fled the area.

In a statement Sunday, the Houthis said they lost 10 group members after U.S. forces fired on their vessels, referring to the engagement as "dangerous behavior" that will have "negative repercussions."

The group also said it will continue operating in the Red Sea. "The American enemy bears the consequences of this crime and its repercussions," the group said, in part.

The group also reiterated that it will "not hesitate to confront any aggression" against Yemen and renewed its "advice to all countries not to be drawn into the American plans aimed at igniting the conflict in the Red Sea."

The U.S. does not seek to escalate the conflict, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said on "Good Morning America" on Sunday.

"We don't seek a conflict wider in the region and we're not looking for a conflict with the Houthis," Kirby told ABC News' Whit Johnson. "The best outcome here would be for the Houthis to stop these attacks as we have made clear over and over again."

Sunday's incident was the second time in 24 hours that the Hangzhou had issued a distress call, U.S. Navy officials said.

The ship had been traveling on Saturday evening about 55 nautical miles southwest of Al Hudaydah, Yemen, when it was hit by an unknown object, a Maersk spokesperson told ABC News.

The 14,000-container vessel continued north afterward, heading toward its destination of Port Suez, Egypt.

"Maersk can also confirm that after the initial attack on the vessel, four boats approached the vessel and engaged fire in an expected attempt to board the vessel," said Adhish Alawani, a Maersk spokesperson.

Maersk has delayed all transits through the area for the next 48 hours, as the incident is investigated, he said.

Kirby emphasized the importance of the Red Sea shipping corridor and the critical need to keep it safe and open for international commerce.

Asked if a pre-emptive strike is on the table, Kirby said "we're not ruling anything in or out."

"We have made it clear publicly to the Houthis and privately to our allies and partners, and we're going to make the right decisions going forward," he added.