The US Army destroyed yesterday friday surface-to-air missile of the rebels Houthis in Yemenwhich posed an “imminent threat” to US aircraft in the region, the US Joint Chiefs of Staff for the Middle East (CENTCOM, “Central Command”) announced today.

Yesterday US forces “conducted a legitimate defense strike against a surface-to-air missile (…) that was about to be launched from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen,” CENTCOM said via X (formerly Twitter).

The missile posed an “immediate threat to US aircraft in the area,” he added, without elaborating.

also yesterday, the Houthis launched an anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) which went down in the Red Sea without damaging any ships, according to CENTCOM.

The Houthis, who control almost all of northern Yemen, have been launching attacks since November 19 against merchant ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, especially those they say are “connected” to Israel, in a show of “solidarity” with the Palestinians in Gaza Strip, in the middle of the Israel/Hamas war.

To counter their attacks, the US, Israel’s main ally, formed a multinational coalition in December to “protect” shipping in this strategically important maritime area. And, since mid-January, the US and British armed forces have launched a series of bombings in Yemen against the Houthis, who for their part now describe US and British ships as “legitimate targets”.

Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the leader of the Ansar Allah (“Supporters of God”) movement, which is better known by the family name of its leaders, said yesterday Thursday that “our military operations will continue”, adding that “we have surprises in store for the our enemies who do not expect them”.