US unleashes more Yemen strikes
As Houthi attacks continue
WASHINGTON – The United States launched another round of strikes at 14 Houthi targets in Yemen overnight as the militant group’s attacks on shipping in the Red Sea continue, according to reports from CNN and Bloomberg yesterday.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces targeted Houthi missiles just before midnight that were ready to launch and that presented “an imminent threat” to merchant vessels and US Navy ships in the region.
“It wasn’t immediately clear how extensive the damage was or whether there were casualties in the latest American response to repeated Houthi attacks against commercial shipping,“Bloomberg said.
The Houthis’ sporadic strikes via missiles and drones have disrupted global trade, forcing most vessels to avoid the waterway.
The latest US strikes followed an official announcement Wednesday that the US has put the Houthis back on its list of specially designated global terrorists. The sanctions that come with the formal designation are meant to sever violent extremist groups from their sources of financing.
The US move also came hours after the Americanowned Genco Picardy was attacked by a drone in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday.
CENTCOM earlier described the vessel as a bulk carrier ship registered in the Marshall Islands. The ship sustained some damage, but no injuries were reported and the vessel remained seaworthy.
It was the third ship targeted by the militants since a major round of US and UK-led attacks on Jan. 12 that included more than 150 precision munitions, including over 80 Tomahawk missiles and allied fighter aircraft.
“Those strikes were intended to weaken the Iranbacked group’s ability to disrupt commercial shipping. But if the latest attacks are any indication, the Houthis still have sufficient weaponry at their disposal to harass vessels in the Red Sea, something that may prompt US President Joe Biden to expand the military campaign against them,“CNN reported.
That in turn could heighten fears of the conflict in the Middle East – which began when Hamas sent militants into Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people – expanding even more.