The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that US forces shot down two drones over the southern Red Sea, according to media outlets.
It added that the Houthis launched an anti-ship ballistic missile that likely targeted a ship in the Gulf of Aden on February 24.
the US Central Command, in collaboration with the British Armed Forces and supported by Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and New Zealand, launched strikes against 18 Houthi targets.
According to Cairo News Channel, the command stated in its Sunday release that the multinational coalition’s strikes targeted areas used by the Houthis to attack international commercial ships and naval vessels in the region.
The statement highlighted that the illegal Houthi attacks disrupted humanitarian aid to Yemen, harmed Middle Eastern economies, and caused environmental damage.
The targets included underground Houthi weapon storage facilities, missile storage sites, one-way attack drone systems, air defense systems, radars, and a helicopter.
The US Central Command emphasized that the strikes aimed to weaken the Houthis’ capabilities and disrupt their ongoing reckless and unlawful attacks on international commercial and US and British naval vessels in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the Gulf of Aden.
The multinational effort seeks to defend ourselves, our partners, and allies in the region and restore freedom of navigation by destroying Houthi capabilities threatening US forces and allied forces in the Red Sea and surrounding waterways.
Recent Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have escalated tensions, with the US responding by sinking three Houthi vessels and killing at least ten fighters.
These attacks, including attempts to board commercial vessels and firing at them, have prompted significant concerns over maritime security in the region.
The US military action came after Houthi forces targeted the Singapore-flagged Maersk Hangzhou, with US helicopters from the USS Eisenhower and USS Gravely engaging the attackers in defense of the vessel.
