Illustrative image. (The U.S. Central Command)
The United States Central Command announced on February 3 that it had launched strikes against Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen and said that several drones launched by the group, also known as Ansar Allah, were intercepted by a warship and warplanes over the past day.
In a statement, the command said that the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Carney intercepted a drone over the Gulf of Aden.
F/A-18s from the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group also engaged and shot down seven drones over the Red Sea, according to the command.
Four other Houthi drones which were prepared to launch in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen were struck, the command said, adding that the drones presented “an imminent threat to merchant vessels and the U.S. Navy ships in the region.”
“These actions will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for the U.S. Navy vessels and merchant vessels,” CENTCOM said.
Yemen’s Al-Masirah TV, which is run by the Houthis, said that two “American-British aggressions” targeted the area of al-Jar in the northwestern province of Hajjah with a total of seven strikes on February 2 afternoon. The news channel didn’t report any casualties, however.
The Houthis have targeted dozens of Israel-affiliated vessels and others owned by the U.S. and the United Kingdom since November 19 in response to the ongoing Israeli war and siege on the Gaza Strip, which has so far claimed the lives of more than 27,000 Palestinains.
The U.S. and the UK retaliated by carrying out dozens of strikes on military targets on Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen in recent weeks. Nevertheless, the group remains undeterred.
