The US military said its forces carried out strikes on 14 Houthi missiles loaded to be fired from Yemen, in the fourth day of airstrikes in less than a week.
In a statement on social media platform
“These missiles on launch rails…could have been fired at any time, which would have prompted U.S. forces to exercise their inherent right and duty to defend themselves,” it added.
“These attacks, together with other actions we have taken, will undermine the Houthis’ ability to continue their reckless attacks on international and commercial shipping in the Red Sea, the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden to make.’
Images shared on social media reportedly show the moment the airstrikes hit their targets in Yemen
The strikes marked the fourth time the US has taken action against Houthis this week
Attacks by the Iran-allied Houthi militia on ships in the region since November have slowed trade between Asia and Europe and alarmed major powers.
The US strikes are intended to reduce the Houthis’ ability to carry out attacks in the Red Sea.
But the Houthis, who control most of Yemen, say they stand in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and have threatened to expand their attacks.
A Houthi rocket launcher was spotted at a rally in Yemen on Sunday
Houthi rebels are pictured at a rally near Sanaa, Yemen on Sunday
Earlier on Wednesday, US Central Command said a drone launched from areas controlled by Yemen’s Houthi rebels struck a US ship in the Gulf of Aden.
There was some damage but no injuries in the attack, it added on X.
The ship, the M/V Genco Picardy, is a Marshall Islands-flagged, U.S.-operated bulk carrier ship, the report said.
The United States has placed the Yemen-based Houthi rebels back on a list of terrorist groups, opens a new tab, as the militants also claimed another attack on a US-operated ship in the Red Sea region this week.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Biden administration re-designated Yemen’s Houthi rebels as a terrorist group, drawing harsh criticism from Republicans who decried the move as not going far enough.
Former President Donald Trump had previously listed Houthis as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT).
But Biden’s Secretary of State Antony Blinken removed them from the list in 2021 to make it easier to get humanitarian aid to Yemen.
Three years later, Biden bowed to mounting pressure to re-list the group – as SDGT – only after Houthi rebels attacked US ships in the Red Sea.
Now members of Congress are criticizing Biden for not taking “real action” and waiting years to hold the terrorist group accountable.
Furthermore, the SDTG label to be reimposed on the Houthis does not include more severe sanctions associated with appointment to the FTO list, such as travel restrictions.
House Intelligence Chairman Mike Turner told DailyMail.com that Biden “should never have removed” the Houthis’ FTO designation.
“Designating the Houthis as a ‘Specially Designated Global Terrorist’ only brings sanctions and avoids taking real action,” he added.
Houthi fighters and tribal supporters raise their firearms to protest US-led airstrikes
A Houthi fighter holds his rifle during a ceremony marking the end of his training
“President Trump labeled the Houthi rebels as terrorists. Joe Biden removed the designation in 2021. Now Biden admits the Houthis are ‘terrorists’ after their repeated attacks in the Red Sea,” Texas Rep. reported. Lance Gooden on X.
“Joe Biden continues his 50+ year streak of being wrong on foreign policy!”
New York Rep. Claudia Tenney wrote on X, “President Biden’s decision to designate this as an FTO is long overdue and may be too little, too late.”
Some lawmakers said Biden originally took the Houthis off terrorist lists to ease tensions with Iran.
“Biden gets no credit for undoing one of his first — and worst — reconciliations with Iran,” California Rep. Darrell Issa said.
The Houthi soldiers carry out mock exercises against fake Israeli forces
A Houthi fighter is pictured aboard a cargo ship in the Red Sea
Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma wrote on
“As hostile adversaries test American resolve, American strength is essential to our national security and global stability,” the post continued.
Earlier this week, Houthi forces hit a US ship with a missile as it sailed through the Red Sea.
The group also shot an anti-ship cruise missile at a US destroyer, according to US Central Command.
