Two U.S. defense officials told Fox News that U.S. Marines attacked two Houthi anti-ship missiles that were getting ready to launch.
This is the fifth round of strikes against the Houthis since last Thursday’s coalition strikes spearheaded by the United States and the United Kingdom.
“As part of ongoing multi-national efforts to protect freedom of navigation and prevent attacks on maritime vessels in the Red Sea, on Jan. 18 U.S. Central Command forces conducted strikes on two Houthi anti-ship missiles that were aimed into the Southern Red Sea and were prepared to launch,” the U.S. Central Command said in a statement.
At around 3:40 p.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. Marines discovered the missiles in Houthi-controlled regions of Yemen and concluded they posed an immediate threat to nearby merchant vessels as well as U.S. Navy ships. Following that, American soldiers attacked and destroyed the missiles out of self-defense, according to the military.
Following the Trump move back, the Biden administration describes the Houthis as a terror organization.
President Biden declared on Thursday that as long as the Yemeni organization, which is supported by Iran, attacks ships in the Red Sea, American military action against it will persist.
“Are they stopping the Houthis, no, when you say they’re working? “Yes, they will continue,” Biden responded to reporters before leaving the White House to give a speech on domestic policy in North Carolina.
Following the Trump move back, the Biden administration describes the Houthis as a terror organization.
As violence that broke out in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war continues to spread throughout the Middle East, the U.S. military launched another round of ship- and submarine-launch missile strikes against Houthi-controlled sites on Wednesday. This was the fourth time in as many days that the group has been specifically targeted in Yemen.
Fired from the Red Sea, the strikes struck 14 missiles considered by the leadership to be a “imminent threat.”
THE US-OWNED SHIP’S CREW FROM INDIAN NAVY RESCUES ATTACKED BY HOUTHIS
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that “since November, the Houthis have launched unprecedented attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, as well as military forces positioned in the area to defend the safety and security of commercial shipping.” “These attacks against international shipping have endangered mariners, disrupted the free flow of commerce, and interfered with navigational rights and freedoms.”
Blinken went on to say that the Houthis’ classification as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group “seeks to promote accountability for the group’s terrorist activities” and that “the United States will reevaluate this designation if the Houthis cease their attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.”
Even after the United States and the United Kingdom initiated operations against Houthi assets in Yemen, the Houthi attacks on commercial ships have persisted. According to the group, Israel’s military campaign against Hamas in the Gaza Strip prompted the strikes.