The US military intercepted 3 offensive drones near commercial shipping vessels in the Red Sea on Friday and destroyed 7 ground-based anti-ship cruise missiles, following their action against 4 drones prepared for launch in Yemen on Thursday, as announced by the US Army.
Since November 19, the Iran-backed Houthis have been attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, suspected to be linked to Israel or heading to its ports, in support of Gaza amidst the conflict between Hamas and Israel since October 7.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) stated on social media that early on Friday, US forces “downed 3 Houthi offensive drones near several commercial shipping vessels operating in the Red Sea. The vessels were not damaged.”
In a later statement, CENTCOM reported that US forces destroyed “7 mobile Houthi anti-ship cruise missiles in Iran-supported areas prepared for launch towards the Red Sea.”
These strikes were carried out between 12:30 PM and 7:15 PM Sanaa time and were conducted in self-defense.
CENTCOM had previously reported that US forces struck 4 Houthi drones and 2 anti-ship cruise missiles on Thursday, identifying them as an imminent threat to commercial and US Navy ships in the region.
In response, US and British forces have been targeting Houthi positions since January 12 to deter them. The US military occasionally launches strikes targeting sites or weapons poised for launch.
Following Western strikes, the Houthis began targeting US and British vessels in the region, declaring their interests as “legitimate targets.”
The escalation in the Middle East is fueled by the devastating campaign Israel is waging in Gaza in response to an unprecedented attack by Hamas on Israeli territory on October 7, igniting violence and leading to attacks by Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.
