2024-01-20T05:07:31+00:00
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/ The US Army said on the X website that US Central Command forces carried out strikes against three Houthi anti-ship missiles that were directed towards the southern Red Sea.
“US forces detected the missiles from areas under Houthi control in Yemen and concluded that they represented an imminent threat to commercial ships and US Navy vessels in the region. Therefore, US forces bombed and destroyed the missiles in self-defense,” Central Command wrote on the X website.
John Kirby, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said that the attack was the fourth preemptive strike by the US military in recent days against missile platforms that were prepared for launch.
“I would like to reiterate that these actions were done in self-defense, but they also contribute to making international waters safer for naval vessels and also… for commercial shipping,” Kirby added.
The US military said that the Iran-allied Houthis fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles at a US-owned tanker late Thursday, but the missiles landed near the ship and did not result in injuries or damage.
Media reports reported that the city of Hodeidah, western Yemen, was subjected to a missile attack claimed by the United States.
Media outlets affiliated with the Houthis, who control the city overlooking the Red Sea, said that Hodeidah “was subjected to new American and British bombing.”
It reported that “an American-British aggression targeted the Al-Jabanah area in the city of Hodeidah with two raids.”
The Houthi group announced early Friday that it had targeted an American ship in the Gulf of Aden “with suitable naval missiles,” stressing that “the hit was direct,” but the US military said that the missiles missed their target.