The US military said on Wednesday that its forces conducted strikes on 14 missiles that were loaded and ready to be fired from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
US Central Command said in a social media post that the Houthi missiles presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and US Navy ships in the region and could have been fired at any time.
The US conducted strikes on the Houthi missiles at around 11.59pm (Sanaa time) on January 17.
US Central Command asserted that the pre-emptive strikes would degrade the Houthi’s capabilities to continue their reckless attacks on international and commercial shipping in the Red Sea, the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden.
“The actions by the Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists continue to endanger international mariners and disrupt the commercial shipping lanes in the Southern Red Sea and adjacent waterways,” said General Michael Erik Kurilla, USCENTCOM Commander. "We will continue to take actions to protect the lives of innocent mariners and we will always protect our people.”
The strikes followed an official announcement Wednesday that the US has put the Houthis back on its list of specially designated global terrorists. The sanctions that come with the formal designation are meant to sever violent extremist groups from their sources of financing.
"Over the past months, Yemen-based Houthi militants have engaged in unprecedented attacks against United States military forces and international maritime vessels operating in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. These attacks fit the textbook definition of terrorism. They have endangered U.S. personnel, civilian mariners, and our partners, jeopardized global trade, and threatened freedom of navigation," said US national security advisor Jake Sullivan.
{{/usCountry}}"Over the past months, Yemen-based Houthi militants have engaged in unprecedented attacks against United States military forces and international maritime vessels operating in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. These attacks fit the textbook definition of terrorism. They have endangered U.S. personnel, civilian mariners, and our partners, jeopardized global trade, and threatened freedom of navigation," said US national security advisor Jake Sullivan.
{{/usCountry}}Sullivan stressed that the decision is a response to the continuing threats and attacks perpetrated by the Houthis in the strategic waterways.
The designation will come into effect 30 days from now, allowing for the implementation of robust humanitarian carve-outs to ensure that the action targets the Houthis without adversely impacting the people of Yemen. Sullivan assured that unprecedented carve-outs and licenses will be introduced to prevent adverse effects on the Yemeni population, emphasizing that the people of Yemen should not bear the consequences of the Houthis' actions.
"We are sending a clear message: commercial shipments into Yemeni ports on which the Yemeni people rely for food, medicine, and fuel should continue and are not covered by our sanctions. This is in addition to the carveouts we include in all sanctions programs for food, medicine, and humanitarian assistance," Sullivan stated.