US destroys Houthi drone, missiles launched from Yemen over Red Sea

WASHINGTON

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Tuesday that it destroyed a Houthi drone and missiles launched from Yemen over the Red Sea in the past 24 hours.

"In the past 24 hours, U.S. Central Command forces successfully destroyed one Iranian-backed Houthi uncrewed aerial vehicle and two Iranian-backed Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen over the Red Sea," it said in a statement.

The weapons presented a "clear and imminent threat" to US and coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region, CENTCOM said.

"This reckless and dangerous behavior by Iranian-backed Houthis continues to threaten regional stability and security," it added.

More than 39,600 Palestinians have been killed in nearly 10 months since Israel launched its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip that began on Oct. 7, following an attack by the Palestinian group, Hamas.

While Yemen's Houthi group has been targeting Israeli-linked cargo ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in solidarity with Gaza, the onslaught has sparked increased regional tensions across the Middle East, with the latest escalation coming last week when Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Iran.

Hamas and Iran accused Israel of carrying out Haniyeh’s assassination, while Tel Aviv has not denied or confirmed its involvement.

Israel is on high alert for a potential military response from Iran and the Lebanese group Hezbollah, which also vowed to retaliate following the death of its senior commander Fuad Shukr in an Israeli airstrike last week on a suburb of Beirut.