US destroys 4 Houthi drones, 2 cruise missiles in Yemen and Red Sea; rebels target Israel port city

US Military on Friday said that it struck down four Houthi drones and two anti-ship cruise missiles in Yemen and the Red Sea. The strike was carried out after determining that they presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and US Navy ships, said the military's Central Command.

The drones and cruise missiles were set to launch from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen towards the Red Sea. In addition to this, the military also brought down three Houthi one-way attack drones near commercial ships operating in the Red Sea, it said.

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There was no damage to any ships during the strike conducted by the US Military on Thursday and Friday, the Central Command said on Friday. A day ago, the US military had said that it carried out four “self-defence” strikes against the Houthis, by destroying seven anti-ship cruise missiles and a mobile ballistic missile launcher in Yemen.

On Thursday, Houthi rebels launched attacks on both Israel and a ship travelling through the Gulf of Aden, setting the vessel ablaze and again demonstrating their ability to launch assaults despite facing US-led airstrikes targeting their forces.

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Houthis step up Red Sea strikes, use ‘submarine weapons’

Amid constant US strikes, a Houthi representative on Thursday said the rebel group is ramping up attacks on ships in the Read Sea and other waters.

The statement from the leader came after the rebels claimed responsibility for an attack on a UK-owned cargo ship and a drone assault on an American destroyer on Thursday, and they targeted Israel's port and resort city of Eilat with ballistic missiles and drones.

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"Operations in the Red and Arabian Seas, Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the Gulf of Aden are continuing, escalating, and effective," Reuters quoted Abdul Malik al-Houthi as saying in a televised speech. 

The past few attacks by the rebels on ships indicate a shift in Houthi's targets from pro-Israel shipments to more random attacks. As a result, they pose a major threat to a vital waterway for cargo and energy shipments travelling from Asia and the Middle East onward to Europe.

Since November, the Houthis have been attacking ships travelling in the Red Sea, as a part of their pressure campaign to end Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.