- Large-scale retaliatory strikes against several Houthi targets in Yemen have been undertaken.
- One of the targets was the ballistic missile submarine USS Florida, which is of the Ohio class.
- The US has not witnessed any “direct-retaliatory action” from the Houthis since the incident.
Large-scale retaliatory strikes against several Houthi targets in Yemen have been undertakenby the US military in response to months of attacks on Red Sea commercial vessels by terrorists backed by Iran.
A combination of fighter planes and Tomahawk cruise missiles fired from US Navy submarines and surface ships were used in the strikes. One of the targets was the ballistic missile submarine USS Florida, which is of the Ohio class.
Houthi militants
After issuing several warnings, President Joe Biden referred to the action as a “defensive action”. The strikes are a direct reaction to the Houthi’s historically unprecedented attacks on foreign ships in the Red Sea, which included the first-ever use of anti-ship ballistic missiles.
These attacks have put civilian mariners, American personnel, and our allies in peril; they have also endangered trade and put the freedom of navigation in jeopardy.
Presumably in support of Hamas in its conflict with Israel, the militants backed by Iran have frequently targeted commercial ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden with drones and missiles. The Pentagon announced on Tuesday that a Houthi missile, which had been aimed at a commercial vessel, had fallen in the Gulf of Aden without incident. This is the 27th strike of that kind since November 19.
According to a joint statement released by the U.S. and other countries last week, “the Houthis will bear the consequences should they continue to endanger countless lives, the global economy, or the free flow of commerce along the region’s critical waterways if they continue to commit these acts of violence.”
But on Tuesday, the Houthis disregarded the warning and launched their most powerful bombardment yet when American and British destroyers fired down 21 drones and missiles that were headed toward dozens of ships in the Red Sea, accompanied by U.S. Navy jets.
Senior government and military sources stated that the basic goal of the massive attacks was to interfere with the Houthis’ missile, radar, and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capabilities, but they would not elaborate on how the attacks “degraded” the Houthis’ capabilities. The United States has not witnessed any “direct-retaliatory action” from the Houthis since the incident.
