The US military carried out air strikes against five missiles in Yemen on Sunday, including one designed for land attack and the others for targeting ships. This comes a day after a wave of air raids was launched against Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis in response to the rebels’ persistent attacks on shipping.
US forces “conducted a strike in self-defense against a Houthi… land attack cruise missile,” and later struck “four anti-ship cruise missiles, all of which were prepared to launch against ships in the Red Sea,” Central Command (CENTCOM) said on social media. American forces “identified the missiles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined they presented an imminent threat to US Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region,” CENTCOM added.
Feb. 4 Summary of Additional USCENTCOM Self-Defense Strikes in YemenOn Feb. 4, at approximately 5:30 a.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. Central Command forces conducted a strike in self-defense against a Houthi a land attack cruise missile.
Beginning at 10:30 a.m. U.S. forces struck… pic.twitter.com/ScZWEajJe2
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) February 5, 2024
Read More: US, UK Target Houthi Anti-Ship Missiles, Drones, Other Facilities in Preemptive Strike
On Friday, the US military launched airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against more than 85 targets linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) and the militias it backs, in retaliation for last weekend’s attack in Jordan that killed three U.S. troops. The strikes, which included the use of long-range B-1 bombers flown from the United States, were the first in a multi-tiered response by President Joe Biden’s administration to the attack by Iran-backed militants.
The Houthis began targeting Red Sea shipping in November, saying they were hitting Israel-linked vessels in support of Palestinians in Gaza, which has been ravaged by the Israel-Hamas war. US and UK forces responded with strikes against the Houthis, who have since declared American and British interests to be legitimate targets as well.
Anger over Israel’s military campaign in Gaza — which began after an unprecedented Hamas attack on October 7 — has grown across the Middle East, stoking violence involving Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen. On January 28, a drone slammed into a base in Jordan, killing three US soldiers and wounding more than 40 — an attack Washington blamed on Iran-backed forces. The US responded Friday with a series of unilateral strikes on targets in Syria and Iraq.
(With agency inputs)
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