The U.S. Central Command, "CENTCOM," announced the destruction of three missile launch platforms in areas controlled by the Houthis in Yemen. CENTCOM stated in a message on the platform "X" on Wednesday, "In the past 24 hours, U.S. Central Command forces successfully destroyed three missile launch platforms in an area controlled by the Houthis in Yemen." It added, "It was determined that these missile launch platforms pose an imminent threat to the United States, coalition forces, and commercial vessels in the region." The statement indicated, "These actions were taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer."
It is noteworthy that the Houthi movement in Yemen began launching attacks on vessels linked to Israel or heading to its ports since last November in response to the Israeli war against Gaza, which led to increased tensions in the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, and the Gulf of Aden. In response, the United States and Britain began large-scale attacks on Houthi positions in several Yemeni cities on January 12, following the Houthi attacks in the Red and Arabian Seas, before the movement expanded its targeting to include American and British ships in retaliation for the airstrikes. The movement had announced on October 10 that it would support Palestinian factions in confronting the Israeli army in Gaza with missile and air attacks and "other military options" if the United States intervened militarily in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the region.
