US Military Airstrikes Hit ‘Houthi Targets’ in Sanaa Amid Escalating Tensions | Yemen

The U.S. military said it conducted precision airstrikes on December 21 against a missile storage facility and a command-and-control facility operated by Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa.In a statement, the U.S. military’s Central Command said the strikes aimed to “disrupt and degrade Houthi operations, such as attacks against U.S. Navy warships and merchant vessels in the Southern Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb, and Gulf of Aden.”The U.S. military also said it struck multiple Houthi one-way drones and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea.Video released by CENTCOM (United States Central Command) shows military aircraft taking off from an unidentified location.Reuters was not able to independently verify the location or the date when the video was filmed.Saturday’s strike followed a similar attack last week by U.S. aircraft against a command and control facility operated by the Houthis, which control much of Yemen.On Thursday, Israel launched strikes against ports and energy infrastructure in Houthi-held parts of Yemen and threatened more attacks against the group, which has launched hundreds of missiles at Israel over the past year.The Iran-backed group in Yemen has been attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea for more than a year to try to enforce a naval blockade on Israel, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Israel’s year-long war in Gaza. n18oc_world n18oc_crux