U.S. Targets Houthi Control Center Responsible For Attacks On Navy & Merchant Ships

The U.S. Central Command commonly known as the CENTCOM launched a precision airstrike on a Houthi command and control center in Sana’a, Yemen.

The facility, located in a region controlled by the Iran-backed Houthi militia, was responsible for carrying attacks on U.S. Navy warships and merchant vessels in the Gulf of Aden and Southern Red Sea.

The Houthi-controlled facility had been a key hub for coordinating threats against vital shipping routes that are crucial for global trade.

According to CENTCOM, the strike was aimed at disrupting Houthi operations that have increasingly targeted vessels in the region.

A few days earlier, the USS Stockdale and USS O’Kane of the U.S. Navy, intercepted a series of Houthi-launched drones and an anti-ship missile while escorting U.S. flagged commercial ships in the Gulf of Aden on December 9 and 10. There were no injuries or damage reported from the attack.

Both these destroyers have done commendable work recently thwarting several Houthi-launched attacks on U.S. Navy ships and other commercial vessels.

A similar incident reported both the destroyers intercepting another set of missile attacks to save three merchant vessels from November 30 to December 1, 2024.

The Houthis have intensified their attacks on both commercial and military ships over the past year, using drones and missiles across the Bal al-Mandeb Strait, the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.

In response to the increasing threats, CENTCOM has also carried out airstrikes targeting Houthi weapons storage sites, including a major operation in October where U.S. B-2 Spirit bombers destroyed underground bunkers filled with advanced missiles.

Along with the airstrike, CENTCOM also confirmed the arrival of the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (CSG) in the region. The strike group, including the USS Gettysburg, USS Harry S. Truman, and two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, USS Stout and USS Jason Dunham, is positioned to conduct a wide range of operations, including the defence of U.S. and allied forces in the region.

The arrival of the Truman CSG follows a nine-month deployment by the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, which responded to the growing threat posed by the Houthis.

During that time, the Eisenhower group launched hundreds of missiles and conducted numerous air operations to counter the Houthi aggression.

The Houthis have also shifted some of their focus toward Israel in recent weeks, launching missiles and drones at Israeli targets. Additionally, they also claimed responsibility for firing a hypersonic missile at Haifa and attacking Ben Gurion Airport.

Reference: U.S. Centcom

Source: Maritime Shipping News