The US Central Command announced on Monday that the US Navy destroyer “USS Laboon” was attacked by a cruise missile in the Red Sea, originating from areas under the control of the Yemeni group “Ansar Allah”. According to a statement from the Central Command, the missile was launched from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, backed by Iran, towards the “USS Laboon”, operating in the southern Red Sea. The missile was reportedly intercepted near the coast of Hodeida by American fighter jets.
In response to Ansar Allah’s actions of preventing ships affiliated with Israel or heading to its ports from passing through the Red Sea, in solidarity with the Palestinian resistance factions against the Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip, the US and the UK began a widespread attack on several Yemeni cities on the previous Friday, targeting locations associated with “Ansar Allah”.
The US Department of Defense, Pentagon, announced that the Air Force conducted deliberate strikes on more than 60 targets belonging to the “Ansar Allah” group. Over 100 precision-guided munitions of various types were used in the attack.
Mohammed Abdul-Salam, the spokesperson for “Ansar Allah” Yemen, stated on the platform “X” that the hostile actions by the U.S. against Yemen will not prevent the armed forces from continuing to fulfill their religious, humanitarian, and moral commitment to support the Palestinian people and their noble resistance. This includes continuing to target enemy-affiliated ships and those heading to the ports of occupied Palestine until the aggression is stopped and the siege on Gaza is lifted.
“Ansar Allah” had previously declared on November 14 that it would begin practical measures to appropriately deal with any Israeli ship in the Red Sea, emphasizing that operations against Israel will not cease until its aggression on Gaza, ongoing since October 7, is stopped.
Houthi forces have escalated their attacks, particularly targeting Israel and the United States. This escalation seems to be in response to the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The Houthis have conducted multiple aerial attacks on Israel since October 19, launching drones and missiles from their stronghold in Yemen. Although these attacks have not caused direct damage in Israel, they have necessitated the activation of Israeli air defenses and prompted the US to deploy significant naval forces to the Red Sea to intercept Houthi barrages.
