U.S Navy Warships & Aircraft Launch Attacks On A Dozen Houthi Sites in Yemen

U.S Navy warships and aircraft launched attacks on Houthi sites in Yemen, hitting 15 targets, per officials.

Many explosions were reported in major cities of Yemen, including Sanaa, the capital.

Sanaa did not experience bombing in the last 2 years until now, since fighting between the two parties in Yemen had mostly subsided.

Per a statement from the U.S Central Command, the targets struck Houthi military capabilities and were intended to protect the freedom of navigation and to make international waters safe and more secure for ships.

Central Command added that the attacks targeted weapons systems, Houthi bases in Yemen and other equipment.

Last week, the Group launched a complex attack by deploying cruise missiles and drones near U.S. Navy ships, per the Pentagon. The weapons were shot down by the navy vessels.

Though none of the ships suffered any damage and nobody was hurt, the attack showed that months of airstrikes did not deter Houthis from attacking vessels in the Red Sea.

Since November 2023, Houthis have targeted over a hundred vessels, sunk two and hijacked one. They said that they were launching attacks on shipping to protest Israel’s attacks on Gaza but U.S officials said that several ships that were targeted had no connections to Israel.

In a more recent move, Houthis launched a drone at Tel Aviv in July and a missile in September after which Israel also targeted places in Yemen.

The previous week, Houthis said they had shot down a US-built MQ-9 Reaper drone over Yemen and the U.S military acknowledged losing an unmanned aircraft.

In the beginning of 2024, the United States, the United Kingdom and 12 other countries launched Operation Prosperity Guardian to protect Red Sea shipping lanes against Houthi attacks.

The Houthis are a part of the network of armed groups in the Middle East backed by Iran that includes Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.

References: BBC, CBS News

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Source: Maritime Shipping News