US Strikes More Houthi Targets in Yemen After Missile Attack

An RAF Typhoon aircraft takes off to join the U.S.-led coalition from RAF Akrotiri to conduct air strikes against military targets in Yemen, aimed at the Iran-backed Houthi militia that has been targeting international shipping in the Red Sea, in Cyprus, in this handout picture released on Jan. 12, 2024. UK MOD/Handout via Reuters

The United States military is striking additional targets in Yemen as Iranian-backed elements continue attacks on international shipping.

U.S. forces destroyed four anti-ship missiles deployed by the Iran-backed Houthis on Jan. 16 in response to a Houthi attack on a civilian vessel earlier in the day.

“At approximately 4:15 a.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. Forces struck and destroyed four Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles,” reads a press statement from U.S. Central Command, which oversees operations in the region.

“These missiles were prepared to launch from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and presented an imminent threat to both merchant and U.S. Navy ships in the region.”

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the strikes were conducted to protect the lives and interests of American and international shipping efforts in the region.

“We stand ready to defend our interests, our sailors, our ships, and that of merchant shipping as required,” Mr. Kirby told reporters on Tuesday.

Houthis Ramp Up Attacks on Commercial Shipping

The strikes follow several high-profile attacks by the Houthis in Yemen, whom the White House claims are receiving operational support from Iran.

The Houthis launched an anti-ship ballistic missile across international shipping lanes earlier in the day, which struck the Maltese-flagged bulk carrier M/V Zografia. The ship did not sink, however, and its crew continued to transit across the Red Sea.

That attack follows a similar incident from Jan. 15, in which Houthis in Yemen launched a missile at the M/V Gibraltar Eagle, a Marshall Islands-flagged container ship owned and operated by the United States.

The Houthis have launched more than 100 attacks on ships in the Red Sea since October. The group claims it is attacking Israel-bound ships in protest against Israel’s war in Gaza but has frequently targeted ships with no relationship to that region.

The Pentagon announced Operation Prosperity Guardian late last month, an international coalition effort to protect civilians shipping in the Red Sea.

Additionally, the United States and the United Kingdom have conducted limited military strikes against Houthi assets in Yemen as part of an effort to destroy and degrade the group’s ability to threaten international commerce.

The White House claims that Iran is providing financing, intelligence, and operational support to the Houthis in order to interfere with global shipping in the Red Sea.

The continued Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have begun to create a global shipping crisis, as several of the world’s major shipping outfits are rerouting cargo vessels, taking extra weeks to travel around the southern tip of Africa instead of risking the journey to the Suez Canal.

Every year, about 19,000 ships travel through the canal, to which the Red Sea is the sole southern entry. Should current detours remain in effect, it is possible that Egypt, which controls the canal, will lose out on more than $1 billion in passage fees. Likewise, global markets could feel the pressure of rising prices as shipping becomes backlogged.