CAIRO, Dec 21 (Reuters) – The U.S. military said it conducted precision airstrikes on Saturday against a missile storage facility and a command-and-control facility operated by Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa.
In a statement, the U.S. military’s Central Command said the strikes aimed to “disrupt and degrade Houthi operations, such as attacks against U.S. Navy warships and merchant vessels in the Southern Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb, and Gulf of Aden”.
The U.S. military also said it struck multiple Houthi one-way drones and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea.
Israeli Military Says Houthi Missile Lands in Tel Aviv Area, 14 Injured
Saturday’s strike followed a similar attack last week by U.S. aircraft against a command and control facility operated by the Houthis, which control much of Yemen.
On Thursday, Israel launched strikes against ports and energy infrastructure in Houthi-held parts of Yemen and threatened more attacks against the group, which has launched hundreds of missiles at Israel over the past year.
The Iran-backed group in Yemen has been attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea for more than a year to try to enforce a naval blockade on Israel, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Israel’s year-long war in Gaza.
(Reporting by Menna Alaa and Muhammad Al Gebaly; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Alistair Bell)
