Friday, January 19, 2024 – The US military has said its forces conducted strikes on 14 Houthi missiles that were loaded to be fired from Yemen, on the fourth day of airstrikes.
In a statement on social media platform X, U.S. Central
Command said the Houthi missiles presented an imminent threat to merchant
vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region.
'These missiles on launch rails ... could have been fired at
any time, prompting U.S. forces to exercise their inherent right and obligation
to defend themselves,' it added.
'These strikes, along with other actions we have taken, will
degrade the Houthi's capabilities to continue their reckless attacks on
international and commercial shipping in the Red Sea, the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait,
and the Gulf of Aden.'
Attacks by the Iran-allied Houthi militia on ships in the
region since November have slowed trade between Asia and Europe and
alarmed major powers.
The U.S. strikes are meant to degrade the Houthis' ability
to carry out attacks in the Red Sea.
But the Houthis, who control most of Yemen, say they are
acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and have threatened to expand
their attacks.
Earlier on Wednesday, U.S. Central Command said a drone
launched from areas controlled by the Houthi rebels in Yemen had struck a
U.S.-owned vessel in the Gulf of Aden.
There was some damage but no injuries in the attack, it
added on X. The vessel, M/V Genco Picardy, is a Marshall Islands-flagged
flagged, U.S.-operated bulk carrier ship, it said
The Biden administration has re-listed the Houthi rebels in
Yemen as a terrorist group, drawing harsh criticism from Republicans who
slammed the move for not going far enough.
Former President Donald Trump had previously
listed Houthis as foreign terrorist organizations (FTO) and specially
designated global terrorists (SDGT).
But Biden's Secretary of State
Antony Blinken de-listed them in 2021 to make it easier to get
humanitarian aid into Yemen.
Three years later, Biden bowed to increasing pressure to
re-list the group - as SDGT only after Houthi rebels attacked U.S. ships in the
Red Sea.
Footage showing Renewing U.S. Strikes tonight against Houthi Positions near the City of Dhamar in Western Yemen. pic.twitter.com/oVp0XRaJu3
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) January 18, 2024
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