The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has reported on Friday that they have initiated a strategic bombing campaign against areas in Yemen held by Houthi rebels. The objective of the assault was to neutralize three missile systems that were being prepared to target incoming vessels in the Red Sea.
According to CENTCOM, the missile systems posed a significant and immediate danger to the U.S. Navy and commercial ships in the region. This was detailed in an official statement that also indicated that the operation was carried out between the hours of 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., Sanaa time, which is the capital city of Yemen.
CENTCOM expressed their belief that these strategic actions will contribute to the protection of “freedom of navigation” rights, and will contribute to making international waters safer for maritime operations.
In a related development, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) service on Friday reported that there was an “incident” in the region. This was approximately 70 nautical miles (or 130 kilometers) northwest of the southern Yemeni city of Mocha.
UKMTO confirmed that a missile had landed near a vessel, but fortunately, the ship and its crew are safe and have not reported any casualties.
Concurrently with the incident reported by the British authorities and the U.S. response, the Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for a missile attack in the Gulf of Aden on the previous day. The target was the ‘Lycavitos’, a ship flying under the Barbados flag and operated by the United Kingdom.
As per the Houthi rebels, the missiles had successfully hit the ship. However, the British authorities were quick to deny the claim, and the U.S. authorities on Friday confirmed that the ship had sustained only minimal damage and was still seaworthy.
Over the past few months, tensions have escalated in the region as a result of the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip. In a show of solidarity with the Palestinians, the Houthi rebels have issued warnings that they would target any ship operated by Israeli companies or any ship destined for Israeli ports.
In a countermove, the United States and the United Kingdom have spearheaded a coalition to safeguard maritime trade, and have even launched attacks on Houthi-controlled territories in Yemen. This has prompted an increase in attacks on ships belonging to these two countries by the rebels.
