KEY POINTS
- US forces target Houthi-controlled regions in Yemen.
- Houthis launch missiles at Israel in solidarity with Gaza.
- Israel launches airstrikes on Yemeni infrastructure and vows to target Houthi leadership.
- Houthis condemn US attacks and support for Israeli aggression in Gaza.
WASHINGTON: The US military said Tuesday its forces targeted Yemen’s capital and coastal region that the Houthis used to attack American warships and commercial vessels. The US forces conducted the operation after the Israeli military on Monday claimed that it had intercepted a missile launched from Yemen before it crossed into Israeli territory.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM), in a statement, said that the attacks began Monday and were carried out by US Navy ships and aircraft that also struck Houthi-controlled coastal regions of Yemen.
CENTCOM said US Navy and Air Force aircraft had destroyed “seven cruise missiles and one-way attack UAVs over the Red Sea,” using an acronym for unmanned aerial drones.
“On December 30 and 31, US Navy ships and aircraft targeted a Houthi command and control facility and advanced conventional weapon (ACW) production and storage facilities that included missiles and uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV),” the US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on X.
CENTCOM Forces Strike Multiple Houthi Targets in Yemen
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted multiple precision strikes against Iran-backed Houthi targets in Sana’a and coastal locations within Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen, Dec. 30 and 31.
On Dec. 30 and 31,… pic.twitter.com/XUKtsZM1U7
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) December 31, 2024
Houthis Condemn US, Israeli Strikes as Violation of Yemen’s Sovereignty
One witness in Yemen’s capital Sanaa reported several strikes in different locations, AFP reported. Another reported raids on Sanaa on the Defence Ministry and having heard a powerful explosion.
Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdulsalam called the strikes “an American aggression” and “a blatant violation of the sovereignty of an independent state and a blatant support for Israel.” He said that his country would continue to defend itself after several US strikes targeted facilities in the capital Sanaa.
“The US aggression on Yemen is a blatant violation of the sovereignty of an independent state, and blatant support for Israel to encourage it to continue its crimes of genocide against the people of Gaza,” said Abdulsalam on Tuesday, after strikes were conducted by the US for a second day.
The Houthis said earlier Tuesday that they had fired two missiles at Israel, hours after the Israeli military said it had intercepted a projectile launched from the country.
The Houthis have been firing missiles and drones at Israel, and at ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, in what they say is solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
In recent weeks, Houthis have claimed to have fired several missiles at Israel. Israel also launched heavy air strikes on different areas of Yemen including strategic assets and key infrastructure.
“Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in central Israel, a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted by the IAF (air force) prior to crossing into Israeli territory,” the Israeli military said in a statement.
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On Saturday, Israel intercepted a similar missile launched from Yemen.
Houthis have stepped up their attacks since November’s ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Israel has also struck Yemen, including targeting Sanaa’s international airport on Thursday.
An Israeli statement said its targets included “military infrastructure” at the airport and power stations in Sanaa and Hodeida — a major entry point for humanitarian aid — as well as other facilities at several ports.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned the Houthis, saying that Israeli strikes against them would “continue until the job is done.”
Defence Minister Israel Katz also recently declared: “We will hunt down all of the Houthis’ leaders — nobody will be able to evade the long arm of Israel.”
The latest warnings from top Israeli officials came after a missile fired by the Houthis wounded 16 people in Israel’s main commercial city of Tel Aviv.
American and British forces have repeatedly struck Yemen this year in response to Houthi attacks on shipping in Red Sea-area waters vital to global trade.
On Saturday, Houthis said new air raids hit the country’s north. A Houthi military statement said the raids were carried out in the Buhais area of Hajjah province’s Medi district, blaming “US-British aggression.”
The Houthis made the same claim about a raid they said hit a park in the capital Sanaa on Friday.
