The US military claimed Wednesday that it launched attacks in Yemen targeting ten attack drones and a ground control post belonging to the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. A US warship also intercepted a Houthi anti-ship missile and later killed three Iranian drones, according to Central Command (CENTCOM).
While the US has lately initiated strikes against the Houthis and other Tehran-backed organizations in the region, both countries have wanted to avoid a confrontation, and the downing of three Iranian drones may exacerbate tensions.
Early Thursday local time, US forces destroyed a “Houthi UAV ground control station and 10 Houthi one-way UAVs” that “presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and US Navy ships in the region,” CENTCOM said in a statement, using an abbreviation for an unmanned aerial vehicle.
CENTCOM had previously claimed that the USS Carney had intercepted an anti-ship ballistic missile fired by the Houthis and then killed three Iranian drones less than an hour later.
It was not clear whether the drones fired down by the military destroyer were intended for attack or monitoring.
On Wednesday, American forces destroyed a Houthi surface-to-air missile that CENTCOM claimed presented an urgent threat to “US aircraft” — a departure from previous air attacks that concentrated on decreasing the rebels’ capacity to target international shipping.
It did not specify the type of aircraft targeted or the precise location of the hit, merely stating that it occurred in “Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.”
Persistent attacks
The Houthis began targeting Red Sea cargo in November, claiming to be attacking Israeli-linked vessels in support of Palestinians in Gaza, which has been devastated by the Israel-Hamas conflict.
US and UK military have responded by striking the Houthis, who have since deemed US and British interests to be valid targets as well.
Some of the US strikes have targeted missiles that CENTCOM has stated represent an imminent threat to ships, indicating a thorough monitoring effort centered on Houthi-controlled area that most certainly includes military aircraft.
The US also established a multinational naval task force to protect Red Sea ships from the Houthis’ repeated strikes on the transit route, which accounts for up to 12% of world trade.
In addition to military action, Washington has attempted to put diplomatic and financial pressure on the Houthis, redesignating them as a terrorist organization earlier in January after previously dropping the classification shortly after President Joe Biden took office.
However, the Houthis’ attacks continue, with the rebels claiming Wednesday that they targeted an American merchant ship destined for Israel with “several appropriate naval missiles that directly hit the vessel.”
Ambrey, a maritime security firm, stated that a commercial vessel was attacked with a missile southwest of Aden, and that the ship reported an explosion on its starboard side, but did not specify its nationality.
Earlier, the Houthis claimed to have fired multiple missiles at the USS Gravely, after CENTCOM reported that the vessel had downed an anti-ship cruise missile launched “from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward the Red Sea.”
Anger over Israel’s destructive assault in Gaza, which began following an unprecedented offensive by Hamas in October, has spread throughout the Middle East, inciting violence by Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.