“US forces struck and destroyed four Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles,” Central Command said in a statement. “These missiles were prepared to launch from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and presented an imminent threat to both merchant and US Navy ships in the region.”
The drone strikes against the Iran-backed Houthis came after two commercial ships in the Red Sea were hit by missiles in the space of 24 hours. On Tuesday, the Greek-owned commodity carrier Zografia was hit by a missile while sailing in the south of the waterway. A day earlier, a US-owned bulk freighter called the Gibraltar Eagle was struck.
The latest US action came as the Biden administration seeks to balance the need to deter further attacks in the Red Sea by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels against its desire to avert a wider Mideast war. It was a far more limited attack than the extensive airstrikes that the US and UK launched against targets in Yemen last week. President Joe Biden has said that military action sent a “clear message” to the Houthis.