Yemen Monitor/Hodeidah/Exclusive:
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Saturday that its forces had destroyed six drones belonging to the Houthi armed group on Friday.
A statement from CENTCOM said, “Separately, forces engaged and destroyed three unmanned surface vessels belonging to the Houthis operating off the coast of Yemen.”
Earlier on Friday, sources had reported airstrikes on Kamarran Island, Hodeidah Airport, and its surroundings.
The US military added, “These weapons were determined to pose an imminent threat to the US, coalition forces, and commercial shipping in the region. These actions were taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure.”
Since the end of last year, the Houthis have been targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, and recently they have expanded their operations to the Indian Ocean. They said they are targeting ships linked to Israel, which is launching a brutal attack on the Gaza Strip. However, the Yemeni government and experts say that the Houthis’ goals are domestic, aimed at escaping domestic crises and improving their image in the region.
In response, the US and Britain have been launching airstrikes against the Iranian-backed Houthi militants since January 11. As a result, the Houthis announced the expansion of their operations to include US and British ships.
From November to early July, the US Department of Defense (Pentagon) recorded more than 200 attacks on US commercial or military ships off the coast of Yemen, including nearly 100 attacks since the start of US airstrikes on the Yemeni mainland.
