On Friday, the US army bombed more than a dozen Houthi US officials told CBS News that the United States has used aircraft and warships in Yemen.
According to a statement by the US Central Command, the strikes hit 15 targets containing Houthi offensive military capabilities, and the strikes were “to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for American, coalition, and commercial ships.”
Last week, the Houthis launched what the Pentagon described as a “complex attack” using cruise missiles and drones in the vicinity of US Navy ships. The weapons fired by the Houthis were either shot down by naval ships or failed, according to the Pentagon.
No US ships were hit, and no US personnel were harmed, but the attack also showed that months of US air strikes have not dissuaded the Houthis from their campaign targeting ships in the Red Sea.
Since last November, the Houthis have targeted more than 100 ships, sinking two and hijacking others. The group says it is launching the attacks in protest against the Israeli war in Gaza, but US officials say many of the ships targeted have nothing to do with the Israeli war.
Recently, the Houthis went directly after Israel, launching a drone into Tel Aviv In July And a missile in September. Both attacks led to an Israeli response Targeting websites In Yemen.
US Central Command forces regularly launch strikes against Houthi missiles or drone launchers when there are indications that the Houthis are planning attacks on US military or commercial ships, but Friday’s strikes targeted more Houthi infrastructure.
Earlier this year, the United States and the United Kingdom carried out several rounds of joint air strikes targeting not only launch pads, but also infrastructure, such as storage facilities. Neither large-scale strikes nor “whack-a-mole” strikes appear to have convinced the Houthis to stop attacks.
In August, Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh acknowledged that the Houthis continued to retain the ability to launch attacks, but said that strikes on their infrastructure had weakened some Houthi capabilities.
“They still maintain a strong arsenal, but we have been able to reduce their capabilities over time,” Singh said.
The Houthis are like Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah In Lebanon, they support it and receive weapons from it Iran.
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