MOSCOW, 4 Feb. The United States launched another strike on an anti-ship missile in Yemen, which was prepared for launch by the Ansar Allah movement (Houthis) ruling in the north of the country, the American central command said on the social network X.
“»On February 4th around 04.00 Sana'a time (coincident with Moscow time — ed.) The US Central Command, in self-defense, struck a Houthi anti-ship cruise missile ready to be launched at ships in the Red Sea. US forces detected the cruise missile in Houthi-controlled territory of Yemen and determined that it posed an immediate threat to US Navy ships and commercial shipping in the region,» the central command said in a statement.
The Ansar Allah (Houthi) movement that rules northern Yemen, which controls much of Yemen's Red Sea coast, had previously warned of its intention to attack any ships associated with Israel, calling on other countries to withdraw their crews from them and not approach them at sea. A number of shipping companies have decided to suspend transportation through the Red Sea.
The Houthis have said that their actions in the Red Sea are aimed at helping Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, they argued that they do not interfere with freedom of navigation in the region. Arab and Muslim countries have repeatedly warned the United States that unconditional support for Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip will lead to the spread of the conflict throughout the region.
The United States and Great Britain have been striking Houthi targets since mid-January, calling it a response to a threat to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea. Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of Ansar Allah's supreme political council, called the strikes terrorist barbarity and deliberate and unjustified aggression.