The United States says it hit three mobile anti-ship cruise missiles, an unmanned underwater vessel and an unmanned surface vessel.
The United States carried out five strikes in areas of Yemen controlled by Houthi rebels, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced.
It said it struck three mobile anti-ship cruise missiles, an unmanned surface vessel and an unmanned underwater vessel (UUV) on Saturday.
“This is the first observed employment by the Houthis of a UUV since the attacks began on October 23,” CENTCOM said in a message on X on Sunday.
CENTCOM said it had determined that the missiles and ships posed an imminent threat to U.S. Navy ships and merchant ships in the region.
There was no immediate comment from the Iran-aligned Houthi group.
The strikes come amid heightened tensions in the region, where Houthi fighters have carried out attacks on commercial and military vessels since November.
The Houthis initially said they would target ships linked to Israel as a sign of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, but later expanded their targets to include ships linked to the United Kingdom and the United States.
London and Washington responded by repeatedly striking Houthi targets in Yemen, calling the Houthi attacks indiscriminate and a threat to global trade.
On Saturday, the Houthis claimed responsibility for a missile attack on a British tanker that the United States identified as a Panama-flagged ship carrying crude oil bound for India.
Faced with growing insecurity in the Red Sea, major shipping companies have largely abandoned this essential trade route for longer routes around Africa. This has led to rising costs, fueling concerns about global inflation while depriving Egypt of crucial foreign revenues from shippers using the Suez Canal to or from the Red Sea.
“While we continue to hope for a lasting resolution in the near future and are doing everything we can to contribute to it, we encourage our customers to prepare for continued complications in the region and significant disruption to the global network.” » said shipping giant Maersk in January.
