US strikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels continue. The army has “successfully conducted five self-defense strikes against three mobile anti-ship missile systems, an autonomous submarine and a naval surface drone”Saturday between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. local time, declared, Sunday February 18, in a press releasethe United States military command for the Middle East, Centcom.
” It’s the first time that [l’armée] detected the Houthis’ use of an autonomous submarine since the attacks began on October 23 »added Centcom.
Furthermore, the security company specializing in maritime transport Ambrey reported a new attack in the strategic Bab El-Mandeb Strait – linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden – which targeted a cargo ship on Sunday.
Rebels supported by Iran
The Houthis say they are attacking ships linked according to them to Israel, of which the United States is the main military ally, claiming to support the Palestinians in Gaza. In retaliation, American forces strike targets in “areas of Yemen controlled by the Houthis” that represent “an imminent threat to U.S. naval vessels and merchant ships”in the words of Centcom generally used after each keystroke.
Supported by Iran, the bane of the United States, the Houthi rebels control a large part of Yemen after nearly a decade of war against the Yemeni government.