loading…
US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet. Photo/©USAF/Staff Sgt Keifer Bowes
SANAA – The United States (US) military on Sunday (4/2/2024) attacked an anti-ship cruise missile that was “ready to be launched against ships in the Red Sea” in Yemeni territory controlled by the Houthis.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) added, “This action will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for US Navy vessels and merchant vessels.”
“On February 4, at approximately 4 am (Sanaa time) 01:00 GMT, US Central Command forces carried out a strike in self-defense against Houthi anti-ship cruise missiles preparing to be launched against ships in the Red Sea,” CENTCOM said in a statement. X.
CENTCOM explained, “US forces identified the cruise missile in Houthi-controlled Yemeni territory and determined the missile posed a threat to US Navy ships and merchant vessels in the area.”
Yemen's Houthi military organization vowed to attack any ship linked to Israel passing through the Red Sea in response to Israel's invasion of the Gaza Strip.
The US reacted by conducting a multinational operation to secure navigation in the region and launched a joint offensive with the UK against Houthi positions.
Moscow condemned the US actions as a violation of international law.
“The US airstrikes in Yemen are another example of the Anglo-Saxons' distortion of UN Security Council resolutions and disregard for international law in the name of escalating the situation in the region for their own destructive purposes,” stressed Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova.
Previously it was reported that the United States (US)-led coalition carried out attacks on 36 Houthi targets in 13 locations in Yemen on Saturday (3/2/2024).