Pentagon: The United States launches five new strikes against Houthi armed systems

The Pentagon said on Sunday that U.S. forces in the Red Sea “conducted five successful self-defense strikes” to thwart land and sea attacks from areas controlled by Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The US military said the attacks, which took place at 3pm and 8pm Sanaa time (1200 and 1700 GMT), were part of a series of actions by the US and its allies targeting the Houthis and aimed at deterring Iran. Supported militants launched attacks. Rebels have repeatedly attacked Red Sea shipping lanes.

A statement from U.S. Central Command said the targets of the five attacks included “the first use of unmanned underwater vessels by the Houthis since the attacks began in October.”

Another of the five incidents involved an unmanned surface vessel (USV), essentially a floating drone. The use of such vessels is relatively infrequent.

The other three involved anti-ship cruise missiles, the statement said.

“CENTCOM has discovered anti-ship cruise missiles, unmanned underwater vessels, and unmanned surface vessels in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined that they pose an imminent threat to U.S. Navy ships and commercial vessels in the area,” the statement said. It struck five people in an effort to “make international waters safer.”

The Houthis, who control much of war-torn Yemen, including the port of Hodeidah, began launching attacks in November, saying they targeted Israel-linked ships in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which is overrun by Ravaged by the war between Israel and Hamas.

U.S. and British troops responded with attacks against the Houthis, who later declared that the interests of both countries were also legitimate targets.

The Red Sea attacks have raised insurance premiums for shipping companies and forced many companies to avoid the Red Sea, a key shipping lane that usually carries about 12% of global seaborne trade.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from Yonhap News Agency-AFP)