The U.S. military has launched a series of missile strikes from both ships and submarines against Houthi-controlled sites in Yemen, according to an announcement by U.S. Central Command. This marks the fourth time in recent days that the U.S. has directly targeted the Houthi group in Yemen, as violence stemming from the Israel-Hamas conflict spills over into the Middle East.
The missile strikes were conducted from the Red Sea and targeted 14 missiles identified as an “imminent threat” by the command. This action comes following an official statement on Wednesday reinstating the Houthis on the U.S. list of specially designated global terrorists. The sanctions accompanying this designation are intended to cut off funding sources for violent extremist groups.
Central Command released a statement late Wednesday, saying, “Forces conducted strikes on 14 Iran-backed Houthi missiles that were loaded to be fired in Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen. These missiles on launch rails presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region and could have been fired at any time, prompting U.S. forces to exercise their inherent right and obligation to defend themselves.”
Despite the sanctions and military strikes, including a joint operation conducted on Friday by U.S. and British warships and warplanes that targeted over 60 sites in Yemen, the Houthi group continues its campaign of harassment against commercial and military ships. The most recent incident occurred on Wednesday when a one-way attack drone launched from a Houthi-controlled area in Yemen struck the U.S.-owned and -operated M/V Genco Picardy, which is Marshall Islands-flagged, in the Gulf of Aden.
The U.S. has also issued a stern warning to Iran, urging it to stop supplying weapons to the Houthi rebels. On Thursday, a U.S. raid on a dhow intercepted ballistic missile components that the U.S. claimed Iran was shipping to Yemen. During the seizure, two U.S. Navy SEALs went overboard, with one being knocked off the vessel by a wave and the other voluntarily entering the water to rescue the first.
Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder stated on Wednesday that the U.S. would continue to take military action to prevent further attacks. Ryder emphasized, “They are exploiting this situation to conduct attacks against the ships and vessels from more than 50 countries around the world. And so we’re going to continue to work with our partners in the region to prevent those attacks or deter those attacks in the future.”
Since the joint operations on Friday, several incidents have occurred. The Houthis fired an anti-ship cruise missile toward a U.S. Navy destroyer over the weekend, but the missile was successfully intercepted. On Monday, the Houthis targeted a U.S.-owned vessel in the Gulf of Aden, followed by an attack on a Malta-flagged bulk carrier in the Red Sea on Tuesday. In response to Tuesday’s threat, the U.S. targeted and neutralized four anti-ship ballistic missiles that were poised to launch and posed an imminent danger to merchant and U.S. Navy vessels in the region.
Subsequently, the Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack on the Malta-flagged bulk carrier Zografia, which sustained damage but caused no injuries, allowing the vessel to continue its journey.
