US military says it destroyed Houthi air defense and drone systems in Red Sea are

The US military said on Monday it destroyed air defense and drone systems of Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi forces in the area of the Red Sea, with no injuries or damage reported to commercial, US and coalition ships.

The US Central Command said on X its forces had destroyed an air defense system with two missiles ready to launch, a ground control station in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and one unmanned aerial system launched by the Houthis from Yemen over the Red Sea.

“Separately, at approximately 8 a.m. (Sanaa time) on April 7, an anti-ship ballistic missile was launched from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen toward the Gulf of Aden where a coalition ship was escorting M/V Hope Island, a Marshall Islands Flagged, UK-owned, Italian-operated cargo ship,” the CENTCOM post said.

Houthi attacks have disrupted global shipping through the Suez Canal, forcing firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa. The United States and Britain have launched strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.

The Houthi militants, who control the most populous parts of Yemen, call their action a response to Israel’s military operations in Gaza and a show of solidarity to Palestinians.

Israel’s assault on Gaza has killed more than 33,000 people, according to the local health ministry and displaced nearly the entire population of 2.3 million.

The Israeli offensive began after Palestinian Islamist group Hamas’ Oct 7 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies.