WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military fired another wave of ship- and submarine-launch missile strikes against Houthi-controlled sites Wednesday, U.S. officials said, marking the fourth time in days it has directly targeted the group in Yemen as violence that ignited in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war continues to spill over in the Middle East.
The measures follow the official announcement that the United States has put the Houthis back on the list of globally designated terrorists. The sanctions that accompany this official designation are aimed at isolating violent extremist teams from their funding resources.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to address major points that have not yet been made public.
Despite sanctions and army strikes, plus a large-scale operation on Friday with U. S. and British warships and warplanes that hit more than 60 targets across Yemen, the Houthis continue their crusade of harassment against advertising and army vessels. The latest incident occurred on Wednesday when a one-way attack drone introduced from a Houthi-controlled domain in Yemen and struck the U. S. -owned and operated Marshall Islands-flagged M/V Genco Picardie in the Gulf of Aden.
The U. S. also strongly warned Iran to prevent the supply of weapons to the Houthis. A U. S. attack on a dhow on Thursday intercepted portions of ballistic missiles that the U. S. said Iran was sending to Yemen. Two U. S. Navy SEALs The U. S. Navy remains missing after one was knocked down by a wave and then the defeated SEAL fell into the water.
On Wednesday, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said the U. S. would continue to take military action to prevent further attacks.
Several incidents have occurred since Friday’s joint operations. The Houthis fired an anti-shipping cruise missile at a U. S. Navy destroyer over the weekend, but the shipment shot it down. The Houthis then attacked a U. S. cruise missile in the Gulf of Aden on Monday and a Maltese-flagged bulk carrier in the Red Sea on Tuesday. In response, on Tuesday, the U. S. struck 4 anti-shipment ballistic missiles that were ready to launch and posed an imminent risk to U. S. Navy and merchant shipments in the region.
Hours later, the Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack on the Maltese-flagged bulk carrier Zografia. The ship collided, but there were no injuries and continued on its way.