Washington [US], March 23: The US Central Command (CENTCOM) issued the above statement on social network X this morning, March 23 (Vietnam time). CENTCOM emphasized the attack on Houthi underground weapons storage facilities as "a necessary action to protect our forces, ensure freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and greater security for US, coalition and merchant ships," according to Reuters.
CENTCOM also announced that US forces destroyed four unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen in self-defense.
During the time the US attacked the UAVs, the Houthis launched four anti-ship ballistic missiles from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen toward the Red Sea . "No injuries or damage were reported from US, coalition or commercial vessels," CENTCOM said.
Meanwhile, the head of the Houthi Supreme Revolutionary Committee, Mr. Muhammad Ali Al-Houthi, wrote on social network X on March 23 that there had been "reckless" US-UK attacks on Yemen.
The Houthi-run Saba news agency reported that US-British aircraft carried out five attacks on Hodeidah, the area where Yemen's main port is located.
The Houthis began attacking ships in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea in November 2023, a campaign they said was intended to show solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
The Houthis have vowed to target Israeli, British and American ships, as well as ships bound for Israeli ports, disrupting traffic through the vital trade route off the Yemeni coast.
The attacks have caused insurance costs for ships passing through the Red Sea to skyrocket and forced many shipping lines to choose longer routes around the southern tip of Africa, according to AFP.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper