Cairo, Feb. 27, (dpa/GNA) – The US military has said that on Monday it struck missiles, drones and drone boats located in areas of Yemen controlled by the Iran-backed Houthi militia in self-defence.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that between 4:45 pm and 11:45 pm local time (1345 GMT to 2045 GMT) its forces destroyed three unmanned surface vessels (USV) and two mobile anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCM) in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen which were “prepared to launch” towards the Red Sea.
They also struck a one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) already over the Red Sea, CENTCOM, which is responsible for the region, said in a statement.
CENTCOM said that it assessed that the USVs, ASCMs and the UAV “presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and to the U.S. Navy ships in the region.”
“These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S. Navy and merchant vessels,” the statement continued.
Yemen’s Islamist Houthi militia has vowed to attack ships in the Red Sea linked to Israel. However, many of the ships that have come under fire have no connection to the country.
The Houthis say they want to force an end to the Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, which followed the unprecedented massacre by the Palestinian Islamist organization Hamas in Israel on October 7 last year.
Because of the continuing Houthi attacks, major shipping companies are increasingly avoiding the shortest sea route between Asia and Europe and sailing around South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope.