US launches fourth strike against Houthis in Yemen in less than a week
Kyiv • UNN
The United States conducted another series of strikes against the Houthis in Yemen, the fourth attack in less than a week.
The United States has launched another series of strikes against the Houthis in Yemen, according to three US officials who told CNN and US Central Command, marking the fourth time the US has struck the Iranian-backed group in less than a week, UNN reports.
Details
"Central Command forces struck 14 Iranian-backed Houthi missiles," reads a statement by CENTCOM on the evening of January 17 on social network X.
According to CNN, citing two US officials, the Tomahawk missiles were launched from US Navy surface ships and the Florida guided missile submarine.
According to CENTCOM, the missiles were "loaded for launch in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen" and posed an "immediate threat" to commercial vessels and US Navy ships. The missiles could have been launched "at any time," and the United States took action in accordance with the "inherent right and obligation to protect" American assets, the statement said.
"We will continue to take action to protect the lives of innocent mariners and will always protect our people," said General Michael "Eric" Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command.
Addendum
The U.S. strikes, CNN notes, are the latest in a series of actions against the Houthis, following significant US-led strikes last week with the UK and backed by several other allies. They come amid rising tensions in the Middle East and fears that the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza could spread to the region.
The new strikes came on the same day that the United States designated the Houthis as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).
A few hours earlier, the Houthis attacked a U.S.-owned and operated ship for the second time in a week. According to the U.S. Central Command, an Iranian-backed rebel group used an attack drone to attack the Genco Picardy in the Gulf of Aden. No one was injured on board the commercial vessel, the Central Command said in a statement. The ship sustained some damage but was able to continue its journey.
On Monday, the Houthis hit another US-owned and operated ship with an anti-ship ballistic missile, apparently the first such successful attack on a US facility since the group attacked international shipping lanes in mid-November, CNN reports.
A U.S. official earlier told CNN that last week's strikes destroyed about a third of the Houthis' total offensive capabilities.
