US military destroys Houthi anti-ship missile

The Pentagon announced on Saturday January 20 that it had ” destroy “ an anti-ship missile from the Houthis, in new strikes described as“self-defense” against Yemeni rebels who carry out repeated attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The United States carried out the strikes around 4 a.m. (2 a.m. in Paris) on Saturday, against “a Houthi anti-ship missile that was aimed at the Gulf of Aden and ready to be launched”declared in a communicated the American military command in the Middle East (Centcom).

“U.S. forces determined that the missile posed a threat to U.S. merchant and naval vessels in the area, and subsequently struck and destroyed the missile.”added Centcom, describing the operation as“self-defense”.

Protecting freedom of navigation

These strikes were carried out as part of efforts to “protect freedom of navigation and prevent attacks on ships at sea”, according to the same press release. Yemeni rebels say they are targeting merchant ships “linked to Israel” in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, as a sign of solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.

American and British forces first bombed the Houthis in Yemen on January 12. Several other strikes have followed since then, including Friday by the American army against missile launchers.

Repeated attacks by the Houthis have forced many shipowners to avoid this key passage for international trade.