WASHINGTON: The US military fired another wave of ship-and submarine-launch missile strikes against Houthi-controlled sites on Wednesday, the US Central Command said, marking the fourth time in days it has directly targeted the group in Yemen as violence that ignited in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war continues to spill over in the Middle East.
“Forces conducted strikes on 14 Iran-backed Houthi missiles that were loaded to be fired in Houthi controlled areas in Yemen,” the Central Command stated on X.
US President Joe Biden said, “We will continue hitting Houthis in Yemen as the US-UK bombardment has yet to stop militant attacks in the Red Sea.” The US has already strongly warned Iran to cease providing weapons to the Houthis. The US has returned the Houthi rebels to a list of terrorist groups. The Houthis say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians. The Houthi movement had on Wednesday said its missiles had made a “direct hit” on the US Genco Picardy bulk carrier.
Meanwhile, an Israeli airstrike on a house killed 16 people, half of them children, in the southern Gaza town of Rafah, medics said. The military continued to strike targets in areas of the besieged territory where it has told civilians to seek refuge.
More than 100 days after Hamas triggered the war with its October 7 attack, Israel continues to wage one of the deadliest and most destructive military campaigns in recent history, with the goal of dismantling the militant group that has ruled Gaza since 2007 and returning scores of captives.