The United States attacked Iranian-backed terrorists for the third day in a row on Sunday, destroying a Houthi missile that it said posed an “imminent threat” to Navy ships in the Red Sea, as the extremist group vowed revenge.
“Forces conducted a self-defense strike against a Houthi anti-ship cruise missile prepared to launch against ships in the Red Sea,” US Central Command announced in an early morning tweet.
The 4 a.m. strike was launched after U.S. forces determined that the missile, located in a Houthi-controlled part of Yemen, threatened the security of the Navy and nearby merchant ships, according to Central Command.
“This action will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer for U.S. Navy ships and merchant vessels,” the statement said.
Shortly after the attack, a Houthi spokesman doubled down on his terrorist group’s claims that its months-long campaign of attacking and hijacking commercial ships in the Red Sea was being carried out exclusively to aid humanitarian efforts and Gaza, and vowed retaliation. .
US and British forces spent the weekend attacking Houthi targets in Yemen. MOD/AFP via Getty Images
“These attacks will not deter us from our moral, religious and humanitarian stance in support of the steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, and will not go unanswered and punished,” the representative said in a tweet.
The US attack on Sunday morning came after 48 hours of intense fighting between the Houthis and US forces in the region.
On Saturday, at least 30 Houthi targets were attacked by US and British forces in 10 different locations in Yemen, including weapons storage facilities and command centers where the terrorists have been coordinating their rampage in the Red Sea.
A day earlier, US forces shot down 11 armed Houthi drones that had been launched or were preparing to be launched.
Houthi forces have been harassing merchant ships in the Red Sea for months. HOUTHIS MEDIA CENTER FANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock American and British planes and missiles have attacked Houthi facilities across Yemen every day since Friday. MOD/AFP via Getty Images
The attacks coincided with a widespread U.S. assault on other Iran-linked groups in Iraq and Syria.
Friday night airstrikes killed at least 39 people and wounded dozens on 85 targets linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard in response to a drone attack by extremist groups that claimed the lives of three service members. American at a base in Jordan last weekend.
Tehran called the attacks “violations of sovereignty and territorial integrity,” while the US Secretary of Defense said they were simply the beginning of the US response to the Jordan attack.
“This is the beginning of our response,” said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
“The president has ordered additional actions to hold the IRGC and affiliated militias accountable for their attacks on US and coalition forces,” he said in a statement. “We will take all necessary measures to defend the United States, our forces and our interests.”
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Source: vtt.edu.vn