U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced early Sunday that its forces had carried out a self-defense strike against Houthi forces.
In a statement issued on Sunday evening, CENTCOM explained that the US military “attacked four anti-ship cruise missiles, all of which were ready to fire against ships in the Red Sea.” .
“The U.S. military has identified a missile in Yemen’s Houthi-controlled areas and determined it poses an imminent threat to U.S. naval vessels and commercial vessels in the region,” Centcom said in a statement.
“These measures will protect freedom of navigation and make the high seas safer and more secure for U.S. naval vessels and commercial vessels.”
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A missile is fired from a warship during a US-led coalition operation against Houthi rebels in Yemen. (U.S. Central Command)
Centcom released a video early Sunday showing it supporting a joint U.S. military offensive against Iranian-backed Houthi militants on Saturday.
Video showed rockets being fired from the ship in total darkness. The effort was part of a joint offensive against the Houthis, which also included support from the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Bahrain, the Netherlands and New Zealand.
Centcom said Saturday’s strikes were launched from the aircraft carriers USS Carney, USS Gravely, and USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.
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As tensions between the US and the Houthis rise following several Houthi operations in the Red Sea, rebels from the Iranian-backed Houthi militia take part in demonstrations against the US and Israel. There is. (Osama Yahya/Photo in partnership with Getty Images)
Since the Israeli-Hamas war escalated in the fall, the Houthis have regularly attacked commercial ships in the Red Sea.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Saturday that the latest counterattacks are aimed at “degrading the capabilities” of the Houthis.
“These attacks further disrupt the Iranian-backed Houthi militia’s ability to carry out reckless and destabilizing attacks against U.S. and international shipping legally transiting the Red Sea,” Austin said in a statement Saturday. The aim is to increase and reduce the
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U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin participates in a meeting with Italian Defense Minister Guido Crossetto at the Pentagon on June 23, 2023 in Arlington, Virginia. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
He added: “This collective action sends a clear message to the Houthis that they must cease their illegal attacks on international shipping and naval vessels or continue to suffer further consequences.”
Fox News Digital’s Bradford Betz and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
