Washington recently strengthened its presence in the Red Sea (French)
Washington said on Thursday evening that it had carried out new operations against the Houthi group, which continues to target ships heading to Israel in solidarity with the Gaza Strip.
The US Central Command revealed that it carried out two strikes yesterday against 6 missiles that were prepared to be launched towards the Red Sea from Houthi areas.
She added, "We shot down a drone over the southern Red Sea in self-defense."
She explained in a post on X that military officials decided that the missiles and drones “pose an imminent threat to commercial ships and US Navy ships in the region.”
Earlier, the Houthi group announced that America and Britain launched 4 raids targeting the coastal governorate of Hodeidah, western Yemen.
The Houthi-run Al-Masirah Channel said that the "American-British aggression" targeted the Ras Issa area in Hodeidah Governorate with two raids, and also targeted the Al-Kuwaizi area in Al-Durayhimi District in the governorate with two raids.
Supporting the Palestinian people
For his part, Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi confirmed that his group will continue its operations in the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Bab al-Mandab Strait “with high effectiveness to support the Palestinian people” in Gaza.
Al-Houthi said on Thursday evening that the crimes of genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza must be stopped, and that medicine, food, and humanitarian needs must also be provided to the Palestinians trapped in the Strip.
He stressed that the group is developing its military operations, and said, "We have surprises that the enemies do not expect at all, and we do not want to talk about them because we want them to begin with action and then comment on them with words. They will be very surprising to the enemies and beyond what the enemy and friend expect."
The Houthis have been launching attacks with marches and missiles since mid-November, targeting Israeli ships and those heading towards Israel, in response to the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip for about 5 months.
The United States and Britain have launched a military campaign against the Houthis, launching raids on what they said were the group's targets in Yemen since last January in response to their attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
Source: Al Jazeera + agencies