Targeting booby-trapped boats and Houthi missiles in Yemen

Aden, Washington (Al-Ittihad, agencies)

Yesterday, the US Central Command (Centcom) announced launching strikes against 4 booby-trapped boats and 7 anti-ship missiles in areas under the force of the Houthi group’s control in Yemen.
Centcom said in a statement, “On Thursday, between 14:00 and 18:00 GMT, US Central Command forces carried out 7 self-defense strikes against 4 booby-trapped Houthi drone boats without seas, and 7 mobile anti-ship cruise missiles that were ready to be launched.” Against ships in the Red Sea.
The statement added: “Central Command identified these missiles and drone boats in areas controlled by the Houthis in Yemen and decided that they represent an imminent threat to US Navy ships and commercial ships in the region.”
He continued: “These measures will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters protected and safer for US Navy ships and commercial ships.”
Since the beginning of this year, the Washington-led coalition has launched raids targeting Houthi sites in various regions of Yemen, in response to its attacks in the Red Sea.
In a related context, the Director of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, said, “The attacks launched by the Houthis on ships in the Red Sea have an impact on insurance prices and global shipping rates, and we have observed that traffic through the Red Sea has decreased by almost half, which means that ships It takes a longer distance of 3,200 miles, which adds 9 days and raises insurance costs.”
Washington and London say that the strikes aim to reduce the Houthis' ability to threaten shipping traffic.
Several days ago, a European Union spokesman said that the bloc was approaching, within weeks, the launch of a special naval mission to protect ships in the Red Sea.
Spokesman Peter Stano added, “The naval mission would help ships passing through the Red Sea avoid any attacks,” without indicating the nature of this mission, which he described as contributing to ensuring freedom of navigation.
Last week, European Union foreign and security policy official Josep Borrell referred to this mission, describing it as “purely defensive,” and stated that the European Union operation will be called “Aspedes,” and its mandate is to protect trade and intercept attacks, but it will not participate in launching strikes. On the Houthis.