2024-02-18T17:46:09+00:00
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/ The United States announced on Sunday that it carried out five new strikes on targets that “posed an imminent threat” in areas under Houthi control in Yemen.
“Between 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. (Sana’a time) on February 17, US Central Command successfully conducted five strikes in self-defense against three mobile anti-ship cruise missiles, an underwater vehicle (UUV), and an unmanned surface vessel (USV) in areas controlled by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen,” the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement published on the X platform and followed by Agency.
The statement indicated that “this is the first notable use by the Houthis of an unmanned underwater vehicle since the attacks began on October 23.”
Central Command added that it had determined that these targets “pose an imminent threat to U.S. Navy ships and commercial vessels in the region.”
CENTCOM considered that these measures “will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for the US Navy and commercial vessels.”
Weeks ago, American and British forces entered into direct confrontation with the Houthis, bombing their sites several times. The American army launches strikes on missiles that it says are being launched from inside Yemen.
Since November, the Houthis have announced that they have begun targeting ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden that they consider to be linked to Israel, in “solidarity” with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Their attacks have forced many shipping companies to suspend the passage of their ships in this area, through which 12 percent of global trade passes.
In this context, Washington reclassified the Houthis as a “terrorist” organization, and formed a multinational coalition in December aimed at “protecting” maritime traffic.