The Iran-aligned rebel group has warned of more attacks against US and British warships.
The United States military has carried out new strikes against 10 drones belonging to the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen as well as a ground control centre.
On Thursday, US forces targeted a “Houthi UAV ground control station and 10 Houthi one-way UAVs” that “presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and the US Navy ships in the region”, the US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement referring to unmanned aerial vehicles.
The group said on Wednesday that all US and British warships participating in “aggression” against Yemen are targets, heightening concerns over the escalating tensions in the region as well as the increased disruption to world trade.
The Houthis said on Wednesday that their naval forces carried out an operation hitting an “American merchant ship” in the Gulf of Aden hours after firing missiles at the US Navy destroyer Gravely.
The US has set up a multinational naval task force to help protect Red Sea shipping from the Houthis’ repeated attacks on the busy waterways that carry up to 12 percent of global trade.
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Wednesday that the bloc also plans to launch a naval mission in the Red Sea within three weeks to help defend cargo ships.
Washington has also looked to put diplomatic and financial pressure on the Houthis. In January, the US relisted the group as “specially designated global terrorists”.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA, February 01, 2024
