In an ongoing effort to neutralize threats in the Red Sea area, U.S. forces, using F/A-18E/F Super Hornets from the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, executed another preemptive strike on Houthi missiles in Yemen on Thursday. According to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the operation targeted two Houthi anti-ship missiles positioned in the Southern Red Sea, ready for launch.
The missiles, located in Houthi-controlled territories, were identified around 3:40 p.m. Sanaa time (7:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time) and were deemed an immediate threat to both merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships operating in the region. The U.S. aircraft destroyed the missiles.
This latest strike marks the fifth U.S. attack against Houthi targets in Yemen, following a series of aggressive actions by the Houthis against shipping in the Red Sea. It is also the third consecutive day of U.S. operations targeting missiles prepped for launch. Prior strikes included an attack on 14 Houthi missiles on Wednesday and four anti-ship ballistic missiles on Tuesday. Additionally, the USS Carney, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, engaged a Houthi radar site with a Tomahawk Land Attack Missile on Jan. 13, following the joint US-UK operation targeting over 60 sites in Houthi-controlled Yemen on Jan. 12.