US strikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels continue. The army “successfully carried out five self-defense strikes against three mobile anti-ship missile systems, an autonomous submarine and a naval surface drone” on Saturday between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. local time, Sunday, February 18, said. in a statement, the United States military command for the Middle East, Centcom.
“This is the first time that [the military] has detected the Houthis’ use of an autonomous submarine since the attacks began on October 23,” Centcom added.
Furthermore, the security company specializing in maritime transport Ambrey reported a new attack in the strategic Bab El-Mandeb Strait – linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden – which targeted a cargo ship on Sunday.
Rebels supported by Iran
The Houthis say they are attacking ships linked according to them to Israel, of which the United States is the main military ally, claiming to support the Palestinians in Gaza. In retaliation, U.S. forces are striking targets in “Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen” that pose “an imminent threat to U.S. Navy ships and merchant ships,” in Centcom’s words typically used after each strike.
Supported by Iran, the bane of the United States, the Houthi rebels control a large part of Yemen after nearly a decade of war against the Yemeni government.