United States:
The U.S. military said on Wednesday (January 17) that its forces struck 14 Houthi missiles that had been assembled and ready to be launched from Yemen.
The United States Central Command said in a statement posted on the social media platform X that the threat posed by Houthi missiles to the region is urgent. Central Command said: “These missiles installed on the launch track pose an imminent threat to merchant ships and U.S. Navy ships in the area and may be launched at any time, which prompts the U.S. military to exercise its inherent rights and obligations of self-defense.”
The statement stated: “These strikes and other actions we take will reduce the ability of the Houthis to continue to indiscriminately attack international and commercial shipping in the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden.” Gen.
Michael Kurilla, commander of United States Central Command “The actions of Iran-backed Houthi terrorists continue to jeopardize the safety of international seafarers and disrupt commercial shipping lanes in the Southern Red Sea and adjacent waters… We will continue to take action to protect the lives of innocent seafarers.” On Tuesday, the
United States conducted the first of a series of In a preemptive strike, four anti-ship ballistic missiles were destroyed before the Houthi armed forces launched them.
Since November, Iran-aligned Houthi militias have launched attacks on shipping in the region, with some 30 attacks affecting citizens, cargo, and ships from more than 50 countries, creating a wedge between Asia and Europe. Trade has slowed, and about 2,000 ships have diverted thousands of kilometers to avoid the Red Sea. In addition, Houthi militants have threatened or taken sailors from more than 20 countries as hostages. All these have aroused the alarm of major powers.
The Houthis, who control much of Yemen, said they were standing in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza and threatened to expand attacks to include U.S. ships in response to attacks by the United States and Britain last week.
U.S. Central Command said early Wednesday that a drone launched from areas controlled by Houthi rebels in Yemen struck a U.S. ship in the Gulf of Aden. The United States Central Command said on Platform X that the attack caused some damage but no injuries.
The vessel, M/V Genco Picardy, is “a Marshall Islands-flagged, U.S.-owned and operated bulk carrier,” according to U.S. Central Command.
The United States on Wednesday once again listed the Houthis as a “specially designated global terrorist organization.” “We cannot stand by and watch what the Houthis are doing in the Red Sea without identifying the nature of their actions,” a senior U.S. government official said. “These attacks meet the classic definition of terrorism,” he said. “
The Houthis also claimed another attack on a U.S.-operated ship in the Red Sea this week.
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