The U.S. military launched a new round of airstrikes against the Houthis in Yemen this week as the Iranian-backed terrorist group continues to direct attacks on merchant ships and U.S. forces in the Red Sea.
U.S. Central Command said that the Houthis fired another anti-ship ballistic missile at international shipping lanes and struck M/V Zografia, a Maltese flagged bulk carrier. The vessel was struck but was still seaworthy, CENTCOM said.
“Earlier in the day at approximately, 4:15 a.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. Forces struck and destroyed four Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles prepared to launch from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen,” the statement added.
CENTCOM announced early in the day that it had seized a ship sailing near the coast of Somalia in international waters on January 11 that was conducting illegal transport of advanced lethal aid from Iran to resupply the Houthi terrorists.
“U.S. Navy SEALs operating from USS Lewis B Puller, supported by helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), executed a complex boarding of the dhow near the coast of Somalia in international waters of the Arabian Sea, seizing Iranian-made ballistic missile and cruise missiles components,” USCENTCOM reported. “Seized items include propulsion, guidance, and warheads for Houthi medium range ballistic missiles (MRBMs) and anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs), as well as air defense associated components. Initial analysis indicates these same weapons have been employed by the Houthis to threaten and attack innocent mariners on international merchant ships transiting in the Red Sea.”
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“The direct or indirect supply, sale, or transfer of weapons to the Houthis in Yemen violates U.N. Security Resolution 2216 and international law,” USCENTCOM added, noting that “two U.S. Navy SEALs previously reported as lost at sea were directly involved in this operation.”
“We are conducting an exhaustive search for our missing teammates,” General Michael Erik Kurilla, USCENTCOM Commander, stated.
The Navy sunk the vessel that was illegally transporting the weapons to the Houthis.