NEW DELHI: The
United States military
on Friday revealed that it successfully destroyed seven mobile
anti-ship cruise missiles
that the
Houthi rebels
were preparing to launch towards targets in the
Red Sea
.
This marks a continuation of the Houthi group’s targeting of shipping in the Red Sea. The attacks have escalated over the past months despite previous American and British strikes aimed at degrading the Houthi group’s capacity.
American forces intercepted three one-way attack drones near commercial ships in the Red Sea on Friday. The operations a day before saw American forces targeting four Houthi drones along with two anti-ship cruise missiles. CENTCOM disclosed that these weapons were preparing for launch from
Houthi-controlled areas
in Yemen towards the Red Sea.
The Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping, which commenced in November, were initially justified by the group as actions in support of Palestinians in Gaza. They claimed to be targeting vessels linked to Israel. However, the situation escalated further as the US and UK forces responded with strikes against the Houthi rebels with the Houthis subsequently declaring American and British interests as legitimate targets.
The attacks began in the backdrop of heightened regional tensions over Israel’s campaign in Gaza, sparked by an unprecedented Hamas attack on October 7. This has fueled anger across the Middle East, leading to increased violence involving Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.
(With inputs from agencies)
