U.S. Strikes 14 Houthi Missiles Ready to Launch: Pentagon

The U.S. military carried out more direct attacks on Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen late Wednesday, the Pentagon’s Central Command said, targeting 14 missiles and their launchers deemed to have posed an “imminent threat” to American warships and commercial vessels in the region.

The strikes just before midnight local time were the fourth U.S. attacks on Houthi targets in less than a week intended to deter the militants’ assaults on shipping, which began in response to Israel’s war against Hamas. The operation also came hours after the Biden administration announced it had relisted the Houthis as a recognized terrorist organization.

In a statement, Central Command said its forces “conducted strikes on 14 Iran-backed Houthi missiles that were loaded to be fired in Houthi controlled areas in Yemen.” “These missiles on launch rails presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region and could have been fired at any time, prompting U.S. forces to exercise their inherent right and obligation to defend themselves,” the statement continued.

Read more at The Daily Beast.