Red Sea shipping crisis: US military hits two Houthi anti-ship missiles in Yemen

The U.S. military conducted additional strikes in Yemen early on Wednesday, targeting and destroying two Houthi anti-ship missiles that were positioned to launch into the Red Sea, the U.S. military said in a statement.

These strikes happened around 2:30 a.m., following a previous round of larger strikes against the Iran-backed Houthi group for their actions in targeting Red Sea shipping.

U.S. CENTCOM Destroys Two Houthi Terrorists' Anti-Ship Missiles

On Jan. 24 at approximately 2:30 a.m.(Sanaa time), U.S. Central Command forces conducted strikes against two Houthi anti-ship missiles that were aimed into the Southern Red Sea and were prepared to launch. U.S.… pic.twitter.com/l3CMPrDx92

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 24, 2024

The Houthis, controlling significant parts of Yemen, claim their attacks are in solidarity with Palestinians during Israel’s strikes on Gaza. These actions have disrupted global shipping, raising concerns about potential destabilization in the Middle East resulting from the Israel-Hamas conflict.

“U.S. forces identified the missiles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined that they presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and the U.S. Navy ships in the region,” the U.S. military’s Central Command said in a statement.

“U.S. forces subsequently struck and destroyed the missiles in self-defence.”
Since the United States started striking Houthi military sites in Yemen on Jan. 11, the Pentagon says it has destroyed or degraded over 25 missile launch and deployment facilities and more than 20 missiles.

It says it has also struck drones, coastal radar and Houthi air surveillance capabilities as well as weapon storage areas.

“We have been very focused on targeting the kinds of things that they’ve been employing or using to conduct attacks against international shipping and mariners, and that will continue to be our focus,” Pentagon spokesperson Major General Patrick Ryder told a news briefing on Tuesday.

Ryder noted that the last Houthi attack was Jan. 18, suggesting the strikes were having an impact. “Since that time we have taken several self-defence strikes when there was an imminent threat or an anticipated launch,” he said.

Biden’s emerging strategy on Yemen aims to weaken the Houthi militants but stops well short of trying to defeat the group or directly confront Iran, the Houthis’ main sponsor, experts say.
The strategy – a blend of limited military strikes and sanctions – appears aimed at punishing the Houthis while attempting to limit the danger of a wider Middle East conflict.

With inputs from agencies.