US forces have attacked and destroyed 10 drones and an unmanned aircraft launch control center in regions of Yemen controlled by Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels, US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported on Thursday.
CENTCOM said this in a statement regarding its X account The drones had been prepared for an “imminent” attack on shipping in the Red Sea, where the Houthis have fired numerous explosive-laden rockets and aircraft against merchant ships in recent weeks. “U.S. Forces identified ground control station drones and disposable attack drones in Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen and determined that they pose an imminent threat to the U.S. Navy and commercial vessels in the region,” the statement said.
“Subsequently, in self-defense, US forces attacked and destroyed the ground control station (…) and ten unmanned aerial vehicles (…),” he added. CENTCOM emphasized that the destruction of this Houthi military material “will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer.”
The note did not provide details about the locations where the drones and the Houthi control center were located or how they were attacked and destroyed, although various Yemeni insurgent media reported “today a new US-British aggression against (… ) Al Hudeidah” reported “.
This port city in western Yemen has served in recent weeks as a base for the Houthis to carry out their threats to attack or prevent the passage of Israeli or Israel-affiliated ships in retaliation for that country’s war in the Gaza Strip. Faced with this threat to shipping on the vital sea route, the US and UK have repeatedly bombed suspected insurgent positions to protect freedom of navigation.
The Houthis, supported by Tehran and classified as terrorists by the US in mid-January, took up arms against the internationally recognized Yemeni government in 2014 and have since controlled large areas in the north, center and west of the poor Arab country. .
Demonstration of strength
Just today, hundreds of fighters recently recruited by the Houthi rebels marched in Sanaa in a show of force organized by the pro-Iran movement, which is not ceasing its “support for Gaza” mobilization campaign, amid an ongoing Escalation with The United States. Around The parade was attended by 1,800 graduates of military training courses entitled “Al-Aqsa Flood”. which took place in front of the largest public park in the Yemeni capital and was attended by Houthi officials and Yemen’s representative of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, Muaz Abu Shamaleh.
Wearing traditional Yemeni clothing and white caps, the recruits carried various types of weapons, including rockets, machine guns and AK-47 rifles, as they marched to the beat of the drums of members of a military brass band, dressed in their impeccable and impeccable uniforms. Blue and red. “These military courses will continue and there will be no one left in this country who has not attended these military (training) courses,” Sanaa Deputy Governor Khaled al-Madani said during the parade, as he addressed the new fighters of varying ages.
He pointed out that the Houthis’ goal is to help Yemenis “achieve combat readiness and spread the spirit of jihad, which, God willing, the entire Yemeni people will possess,” and he hoped that “the day will come when the Yemenis will take over.” on the Americans and find them terrifying.
For her part, 50-year-old Sabá al Námani stressed to EFE that “what is happening today (in Gaza) are crimes committed by an enemy whose appetite is to kill, not to fight. We have prepared what we could in Allah’s way.” Defend the Palestinian people who have been oppressed for the last 75 years.” They all seem convinced of the Houthi plan to attack Israel-affiliated ships in the Red Sea, and they do not even hide their desire to fight directly against the Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip. Taha Murgim, another recruit in his 20s, said they were eager to fight against Israeli forces. “We will not forget the cries of Gaza’s children and women. We will go (to Gaza), even by land, God willing,” another recruit, Taha Murgim, 20, told EFE. “We will use all weapons and everything we can to stop the aggression against the people of Gaza, God willing. Any American, Israeli or British ship or vessel will be a target. “The United States is the straw that breaks the camel’s back.” “will not scare or intimidate us,” he stressed.