In a televised speech on Thursday, Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi claimed responsibility for attacking 129 ships since last November and threatened more strikes as part of what he described as “the fourth stage of escalation to support the Palestinians in Gaza.”
This announcement came as the US military reported destroying two Houthi drones and two missile launch platforms in its latest defensive operations aimed at protecting navigation and undermining the capabilities of the Iran-backed group.
The US Central Command stated in a statement on the “X” platform that its forces succeeded around 8:40 pm (Sanaa time) on May 28 in destroying two missile launch platforms in an area controlled by the Houthis supported by Iran.
Separately, the US statement said that the Iran-backed Houthis launched two anti-ship ballistic missiles around 11:30 pm (Sanaa time) on May 28 from areas they control towards the Red Sea, and there were no reports of injuries or damage by US or coalition ships or merchant ships.
The Central Command added that its forces succeeded between 1:26 and 1:38 am (Sanaa time) on May 29 in destroying two drones over the Red Sea launched from an area controlled by the Houthis.
The US military announced on Wednesday that it carried out interception strikes over the Red Sea, destroying 5 Houthi drones.
The Iran-backed group has been attacking ships in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and the Indian Ocean since November 19, in an attempt to obstruct the navigation of ships connected to Israel, regardless of their nationality, as well as American and British ships. They have also announced an expansion of the attacks to the Mediterranean Sea.
