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An American fighter jet takes off from the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower to attack Houthi militia positions
Photo: Hamad I Mohammed / REUTERS
According to the Defense Ministry, US troops in the Red Sea have again attacked weapon systems of the Houthi militias. Five air strikes on Sunday afternoon destroyed, among other things, a Houthis underwater combat drone for the first time, the Pentagon in Washington said. Three cruise missiles and a swimming drone were also hit. The aim of the operations was to eliminate an immediate threat to shipping in the region and “make international waters safer.”
The Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen has been regularly attacking ships in the Red Sea since the war between Israel and the radical Islamic Palestinian organization Hamas began in October. The Houthis see themselves as part of the self-proclaimed “Axis of Resistance” directed against Israel, which includes Hamas and the Shiite militia Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Since December, warships from an international coalition led by the US have been trying to secure the route along the Yemeni coast, which is important for global trade. The EU is planning its own mission called “Aspides”. A few days ago, the federal government decided on a mandate for the Bundeswehr to participate in the EU mission. An initial discussion of this in Parliament is planned for Wednesday, with the final vote on Friday.
lpz/AFP