These American strikes, in a Middle East which is approaching a regional conflagration, came a few hours after Washington once again described as a “terrorist” entity the Yemeni rebels who continue their attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea and in the Gulf of Aden. According to the rebel channel, al-Masirah, the nighttime strikes targeted “the governorates of Hodeida, Taiz, Dhamar, Al-Bayda and Saada”.
Strikes on 14 Houthi missiles
Hani Kayed, a 44-year-old resident of Hodeida, told AFP he heard the sound of an explosion at “around 2:16 a.m. local time” on Thursday, coming from the east of the city, near the airport. . At around 11 p.m. (GMT) on Wednesday evening, US armed forces “conducted strikes on 14 Iranian-backed Houthi missiles that were prepared to be launched from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen,” the report wrote. American military command in the Middle East (Centcom) in a press release published on X.
“These missiles on launch pads posed an immediate threat to US Navy merchant ships and vessels in the area and could have been launched at any time, triggering the intervention of US forces to exercise their inherent right and obligation to defend themselves,” added the American command. “We will continue our activities to protect the lives of innocent sailors,” added Centcom Commander Michael Erik Kurilla, quoted in the press release.
Multinational force
A Houthi official told al-Masirah that his group would “continue to target ships heading towards ports in occupied Palestine, regardless of US-British aggression to try to stop us.” Off the coast of Yemen, in the Red Sea and in the Gulf of Aden, these rebels, at war for almost a decade against the Yemeni government, target merchant ships they consider linked to Israel.
Actions that they say they are carrying out in solidarity with the Palestinians of Gaza, a territory shelled and besieged by the Israeli army since the unprecedented attack by Hamas in Israel on October 7. The increase in Houthi attacks has provoked American and British strikes in response in recent days, with a third salvo hitting four missiles on the ground on Tuesday.
Last month, the United States established a multinational naval force to protect shipping in the Red Sea, a critical transit route that accounts for up to 12% of global trade. American forces have repeatedly intercepted missiles and drones fired from Yemen, where rebels control a large part of the territory.