US Central Command said Monday that it launched an airstrike on Yemen, claiming to target a Houthi “command and control” facility in the capital Sanaa.
“On Dec. 16 Yemen time, US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted a precision airstrike against a key command and control facility operated by Iran-backed Houthis within Houthi-controlled territory in Sanaa, Yemen,” CENTCOM said in a press release.
“The targeted facility was a hub for coordinating Houthi operations, such as attacks against US Navy warships and merchant vessels in the Southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden,” the press release added.
A correspondent for Al Mayadeen in Yemen said the strike targeted the Ministry of Defense in Sanna and described it as “American-British aggression,” although the US gave no indication the UK was involved. A day earlier, Yemeni media reported joint US-British strikes in Yemen’s northern Hajjah province.
The latest US attack on Yemen comes amid reports that Israel is considering launching significant strikes against the Houthis, who have continued to launch attacks against Israel and Israel-linked shipping despite a nearly year-long US bombing campaign.
The Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, said on Monday that Yemeni forces launched a missile at Israel. “[In] response to the ongoing massacres against our brothers in Gaza … The missile force carried out a military operation targeting a military target of the Israeli enemy in the occupied Yaffa area, using a Palestine 2 hypersonic ballistic missile,” the group said in a statement, according to The Cradle.
In January 2024, President Biden launched a new bombing campaign against the Houthis in defense of Israeli shipping. The UK joined the US for several rounds of significant strikes on Yemen, but the bombings only escalated the situation in the Red Sea as the Houthis began targeting American and British shipping in response.
Israel launched two rounds of airstrikes against the Houthis in recent months, which killed a total of 11 civilians, according to numbers from the Yemen Data Project. Israel’s Kan public broadcaster reported Monday that Israel was planning a major offensive against the Houthis in response to recent missile and drone attacks.
From 2015-2022, the US supported a Saudi/UAE war against the Houthis, which involved heavy airstrikes and a blockade, and the Houthis only became a more capable fighting force during that time.
According to the UN, the war killed at least 377,000 people, with more than half dying of starvation and disease caused by the siege. A ceasefire between the Houthis and Saudis has held relatively well since April 2022, but new US sanctions are blocking the implementation of a lasting peace deal.
