On Wednesday morning, the US carried out two more strikes in Yemen that damaged two Houthi anti-ship missiles.
The US military said that the two Houthi anti-ship missiles were preparing to launch, aimed at commercial ships in the Southern Red Sea.
US Carries Out Self-Defense Strike in Yemen
A picture taken during an organised tour by Yemen's Huthi rebels on November 22, 2023 shows the Galaxy Leader cargo ship (R), seized by Huthi fighters two days earlier, approaching the port in the Red Sea off Yemen's province of Hodeida. The Bahamas-flagged, British-owned Galaxy Leader, operated by a Japanese firm but having links to an Israeli businessman, was headed from Turkey to India when it was seized and re-routed to Hodeida November 19, according to maritime security company Ambrey. The Huthis said the capture was in retaliation for Israel's war against Hamas, sparked by the October 7 attack by the Palestinian militants who killed 1,200 people and took around 240 hostages, according to Israeli officials.
The US strikes began at about 2:30 am, are the latest attack against the Iran-backed group over its targeting of Red Sea shipping, and came after a larger round of strikes a day earlier.
The Houthis, who rule over the most populated areas of Yemen, have declared their support for the Palestinian people in the wake of Israel's attacks on Gaza. The attacks have disrupted global shipping and increased concern that the Middle East could become unstable due to the impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping have persisted even after the US and Britain last week began an initial wave of strikes to undermine Houthi capabilities.
"US forces identified the missiles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined that they presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and the US Navy ships in the region," the US military's Central Command said. It added that the US forces subsequently struck and destroyed the missiles in self-defense.
The Pentagon claimed that over 25 missile launch and deployment facilities have been destroyed since the US started striking Houthi military sites in Yemen on January 11.
It claimed to have also hit military storage facilities, coastal radar, drones, and Houthi air surveillance capabilities.
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US Strikes Against Iranian-Backed Group in Iraq
The US launched a series of strikes against Iran-linked militants in Iraq after the group attacked US troops for a second time on Tuesday. The attack amounted to one of the strongest responses to the hundreds of recent attacks against the US military in Syria and Iraq.
The airstrikes in Iraq come a day after the US struck what it said were targets in Yemen controlled by the Tehran-backed Houthi rebels.
The Pentagon claimed that the US struck three facilities in western Iraq used by the Iran-linked militant group Kataib Hezbollah.
The group has launched attacks against Al-Assad, a large US air base in western Iraq, over the past few days. The group also attacked the base on January 20, but it has been the target of Iran-linked militants for months.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that these precision strikes are in direct response to a series of escalatory attacks against US and Coalition personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-linked militants. He added that the US is seeking to prevent an escalation of tensions in the region, but willing to defend US troop positions and calling on Iran and the groups to cease the attacks.
He noted that they are fully prepared to take further measures to protect their people and facilities.
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