US Central Command (USCENTCOM) confirmed further airstrikes against Houthi weapons in the Red Sea region on Saturday.
“As part of continued efforts to protect freedom of navigation and prevent attacks on shipping, at approximately 4:00 a.m. (Sanaa time) on January 20, U.S. Central Command responded to a Houthi anti-ship missile directed toward the Gulf. carried out airstrikes, struck Aden and was ready to launch an offensive,” USCENTCOM said in a statement about the strike.
US military attacks two Houthi anti-ship missiles, two defense officials say
As fighting continues in Gaza between Israel and the Hamas militant group, members of the Houthi-affiliated Yemeni coast guard sail alongside demonstrators marching through the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah in solidarity with Gaza residents. It's patrolling. (AFP via Getty Images)
“The U.S. military determined that the missile posed a threat to commercial shipping and U.S. naval vessels in the area, and subsequently attacked and destroyed the missile in self-defense.”
It is the sixth attack on the Houthis since last Thursday's attack by the US and UK-led coalition.
“This action will make the high seas safer and more secure for the U.S. Navy and commercial vessels,” USCENTCOM concluded in its report.
Houthis still carry out attacks, but we need to ask how much of their capabilities they want to 'degrade': Pentagon
This photo shows the U.S. Central Command headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. (Mandel Gann/AFP via Getty Images)
President Biden said Thursday that the U.S. military offensive against the Iranian-backed group in Yemen will continue as long as attacks on ships in the Red Sea continue.
“What we're working on means we're going to stop the Houthis, or we're not. Are we going to continue? That's right,” Biden told reporters before leaving the White House for a domestic policy speech in North Carolina. ” he said.
Earlier this week, the State Department relisted the Houthis as a terrorist organization in response to continued attacks on transport ships in the Red Sea.
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Houthi fighters and tribesmen hold a rally against US and UK attacks on Houthi-run military facilities near Sanaa, Yemen. (AP)
The Houthis will be placed on the Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT) list, which will trigger sanctions aimed at preventing further attacks on global trade in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, government officials said.
Even after the US and UK launched attacks on Houthi assets in Yemen, Houthi attacks on commercial ships did not stop. The group claimed the attack was carried out in response to Israel's military operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Fox News Digital's Chris Pandolfo and Liz Friden contributed to this report.
