US Military on Friday said that it struck down four Houthi drones and two anti-ship cruise missiles in Yemen and the Red Sea. The strike was carried out after determining that they presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and US Navy ships, said the military’s Central Command.
The drones and cruise missiles were set to launch from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen towards the Red Sea. In addition to this, the military also brought down three Houthi one-way attack drones near commercial ships operating in the Red Sea, it said.
There was no damage to any ships during the strike conducted by the US Military on Thursday and Friday, the Central Command said on Friday. A day ago, the US military had said that it carried out four “self-defence” strikes against the Houthis, by destroying seven anti-ship cruise missiles, a mobile ballistic missile launcher, from Yemen.
Since November, Yemen’s Houthi rebels have been attacking ships travelling in the Red Sea, as a part of their pressure campaign to end Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
On Thursday, Houthi rebels launched attacks on both Israel and a ship travelling through the Gulf of Aden, setting the vessel ablaze and again demonstrating their ability to launch assaults despite facing U.S.-led airstrikes targeting their forces.
The past few attacks by the rebels on ships indicate a shift in Houthi’s targets from pro-Israel shipments to more random attacks. As a result, they pose a major threat to a vital waterway for cargo and energy shipments travelling from Asia and the Middle East onward to Europe.
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Published: 23 Feb 2024, 08:46 PM IST