On Wednesday, Yemen’s Houthi rebels fired missiles against ships in the Red Sea, but two were intercepted and the third missed, the White House said.
US and British forces conducted two rounds of cooperative strikes to reduce the Houthis’ ability to target commerce, and Washington also launched a series of unilateral air operations on missiles that were poised to fire, but Iran-backed rebels have promised to continue their attacks.
Spokesman for the National Security Council John Kirby stated, “Three Houthi missiles were fired at two merchant vessels in the southern Red Sea, one missile missed… and the other two were shot down by a US Navy destroyer”.
“It underscores that the Houthis still intends to conduct these attacks, which means we’re still going to have to do what we have to do to protect that shipping”, Kirby continued.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) stated that the missiles were fired toward the US-flagged, owned, and operated container ship M/V Maersk Detroit, but did not specify a second vessel being targeted.
“There were no reported injuries or damage to the ship”, CENTCOM added.
The Houthi rebels began attacking Red Sea commerce in November, claiming they were targeting Israeli-linked vessels in support of Palestinians in Gaza, which has been devastated by the Israel-Hamas conflict. Yemeni rebels have since announced that US and British interests are also valid targets.
Major General Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, said Tuesday that while it had been several days since the last Huthi attack, they do maintain some capability, and it’s not out of the question that there could be additional strikes.
In addition to military measures, Washington is attempting to apply diplomatic and financial pressure on the Houthis, redesignating them as a terrorist organization last week after removing that designation shortly after President Joe Biden took office.
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