The US army destroyed two Houthi anti-ship missiles in a strike overnight Tuesday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.
“On Jan. 24 at approximately 2:30 a.m. (Sanaa time), US Central Command forces conducted strikes against two Houthi anti-ship missiles that were aimed into the Southern Red Sea and were prepared to launch,” the statement said.
“US forces identified the missiles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined that they presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and the US Navy ships in the region. U.S. forces subsequently struck and destroyed the missiles in self-defense. This action will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for US Navy vessels and merchant vessels,” the statement added.
Earlier on Tuesday, Britain said in a joint statement that 24 countries took part in Monday’s strikes against eight targets in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, Reuters reported.
The countries which took part include the United States, Germany and Australia, the statement said.
"In response to continued illegal and reckless Houthi attacks against vessels transiting the Red Sea and surrounding waterways, the armed forces of the United States and United Kingdom, with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, the Netherlands, and New Zealand, conducted additional strikes against eight targets in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen," a joint statement issued by the British prime minister's office said.
"These strikes were designed to disrupt and degrade the capability of the Houthis to continue their attacks on global trade and innocent mariners from around the world, while avoiding escalation," it added.
Monday’s attack marks the second time this month that the two countries conducted joint strikes against the Houthis. Earlier this month, with support from other countries, the two nations targeted just under 30 locations with 150 different weapons.
In total, the US has conducted eight rounds of strikes, including Monday's, against Houthi targets to retaliate for the group's continued attacks on commercial shipping.
Two days before the US and British strikes, the two armies shot down 21 drones and missiles fired by the Houthis towards the Red Sea, in what was one of the biggest attacks by the group to date.
Last Sunday, US fighter aircraft downed an anti-ship cruise missile fired at a US Navy destroyer from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen, CENTCOM said.
Three days later, the US conducted a fourth round of strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. The strikes came after the US army said that the Houthi rebels attacked a US-owned ship in the Gulf of Aden.