The United States military announced that, at dawn on Thursday, it carried out a fourth round of strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, mere hours after a U.S. ship was targeted in the Gulf of Aden.
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), in a statement, stated that 14 missile launch pads, which had been prepared by the Houthis for launch at maritime navigation routes in the Red Sea, were bombed.
The statement further added, “These missiles, positioned on the launch pads, posed an immediate threat to commercial vessels and destroyers of the U.S. Navy in the region, and could have been launched at any moment.”
An American official told Al Jazeera that U.S. forces launched strikes against missile platforms in Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen around 2 a.m. Sanaa time.
The official considered that the U.S. forces exercised what he described as “their inherent right of self-defense” in conducting the latest strikes.
Meanwhile, the Houthi-affiliated “Al-Masirah” channel reported early on Thursday morning that American and British bombing targeted the governorates of Hodeidah, Taiz, Dhamar, Al-Bayda, and Saada.
Targeting a New Ship
Earlier on Wednesday, the U.S. military said that a drone launched from an area controlled by the Houthis in Yemen hit a U.S.-owned ship in the Gulf of Aden.
An American official told Al Jazeera that a commercial vessel owned by an American company suffered an attack from Houthi-controlled territories in Yemen, hours after Washington re-listed the Houthis as a terrorist organization.
The American official clarified to Al Jazeera that the attack impacted the ship, noting that it was not possible to disclose the weapon used or potential damages or casualties at this time.
Later, the Houthi group claimed responsibility for the attack that targeted the U.S. ship (Ginko Picardi) in the Gulf of Aden.
The British Maritime Trade Operations (BMTO) announced they received a report about an incident 66 nautical miles southeast of Aden. In an advisory note, it also mentioned that the ship’s captain reported an attack by a drone in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Yemen and informed about a fire onboard the vessel that was later extinguished, according to the organization.
Statement from the Yemeni Armed Forces
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Almighty God said: {So whoever has assaulted you, then assault him in the same way that he has assaulted you. And fear God and know that God is with the righteous.} Truth of God Almighty.In vindication of the oppressed Palestinian people…
— Brigadier General Yahya Saree (@army21ye) January 17, 2024
On the Terror List
The new attack comes hours after Jake Sullivan, the U.S. National Security Advisor, announced that Washington has relisted the Houthis in Yemen as a “global terrorist organization.”
Sullivan stated that the designation would take effect within 30 days to allow time to mitigate this decision’s impact on the Yemeni people. He explained that Washington would consider removing this designation if the Houthis ceased their attacks in the Red Sea.
Last week, the United States and Britain carried out airstrikes against Houthi positions in Yemen, in response to recent attacks that the Houthis launched on ships in the Red Sea, which they claimed were connected to Israel and other U.S. vessels supporting Tel Aviv’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip.
