Houthi surface-to-air missile is destroyed by US forces: CENTCOM

According to the US Central Command in the Middle East, US troops hit and destroyed a Houthi surface-to-air missile in Yemen on Friday after concluding it constituted a “imminent threat” to US aircraft.

Since November, the Houthis, who are mostly in charge of war-torn Yemen and are supported by Iran, have been assaulting ships in the Red Sea as part of a campaign they claim is in support of Palestinians in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas conflict.

In addition to leading a naval coalition to defend ships in the crucial canal, the United States has carried out independent and joint airstrikes in Houthi areas.

US troops “conducted a self-defense strike against one Iranian-backed Houthi surface-to-air missile that was prepared to launch” on Friday afternoon, according to a statement from CENTCOM. The statement also said that the command had concluded that “the missile presented an imminent threat to U.S. aircraft in the region.”

The statement continued, stating that while “there was no impact or damage to any vessels,” the Houthis fired an anti-ship missile into the Red Sea on Friday night.

According to a joint statement, US and British troops launched strikes on 18 Houthi targets this weekend at eight different sites in Yemen. These targets included attack drones, air defense systems, weapons storage facilities, radars, and a helicopter.

In the assaults, one person died and eight were injured, the Houthis’ official news agency said on Sunday.