By W.G. DUNLOP
WASHINGTON, Jan 16, 2024 (AFP) – American forces destroyed four anti-ship missiles in Yemen on Tuesday that threatened civilian and military vessels, the US military said, as attacks by Iran-backed Huthi rebels continue despite multiple strikes against them.
It is at least the third time in less than a week that the United States has carried out strikes against the Huthis, who have repeatedly taken aim at merchant vessels in the vital Red Sea shipping lane — attacks the rebels say are in support of Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel is battling militant group Hamas.
“US forces struck and destroyed four Huthi anti-ship ballistic missiles,” the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.
“These missiles were prepared to launch from Huthi-controlled areas of Yemen and presented an imminent threat to both merchant and US Navy ships in the region,” CENTCOM said.
The United States and Britain targeted nearly 30 sites in Yemen with more than 150 munitions last week, while American forces later attacked a Huthi radar site in what was described as “a follow-on action” related to the previous strikes.
The rebels have declared US and British interests “legitimate targets,” and have continued attacks against ships in the Red Sea.
CENTCOM said the Huthis launched an anti-ship ballistic missile into international shipping lanes on Tuesday, and that a Maltese-flagged bulk carrier reported that it was hit but remained seaworthy.
– Weapons seizure –
The military command also said Tuesday that American forces seized Iranian-made missile parts en route to the Huthis from a boat in the Arabian Sea in an operation last week.
“This is the first seizure of lethal, Iranian-supplied advanced conventional weapons (ACW) to the Huthis since the beginning of Huthi attacks against merchant ships in November 2023,” CENTCOM said.
The United States set up a multinational naval task force last month to protect Red Sea shipping from the Huthis, who are endangering a transit route that carries up to 12 percent of global trade, and US forces have repeatedly intercepted missiles and drones fired from Yemen in recent weeks.
The Huthis say they have been targeting Israeli-linked vessels, but Washington says dozens of countries have connections to ships that have been attacked.
The latest round of the Israel-Hamas conflict began when the Palestinian militant group carried out a shock cross-border attack from Gaza on October 7 that resulted in the deaths of about 1,140 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
Following the attack, the United States rushed military aid to Israel, which has carried out a relentless campaign in Gaza that has killed at least 24,285, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.
Those deaths have sparked widespread anger in the Middle East and provided an impetus for attacks by armed groups across the region that are opposed to Israel.
US forces in Iraq and Syria have also repeatedly come under fire from drone and rocket attacks that Washington says are being carried out by Iran-backed armed groups.
