Yemen's Houthi rebels have reportedly expanded their arsenal after vowing to respond to escalating Western attacks.
According to Russia Today, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on February 19 that the Houthis had attempted to use unmanned submarines for the first time but were destroyed by the US-led coalition, which launched a series of attacks over the weekend.
According to CENTCOM, the US Navy carried out a series of five attacks, hitting three cruise missiles, one unmanned surface vessel (USV) and one unmanned submarine (UUV) of the Houthis on February 17.
According to the US, this is the first time the Houthis have used UUVs since the attacks began on October 23, 2023, and declared that the Houthis pose an "imminent threat" to US Navy and commercial ships in the area.
Since the start of Israel's military campaign in Gaza, the Houthis, who control much of Yemen, have harassed many ships passing through the Red Sea in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
In response, the US has formed an international maritime coalition to patrol the Red Sea called “Guardian of Prosperity,” with the goal of protecting shipping lanes. Since mid-January, the US and the UK have carried out air and naval strikes against “numerous underground, command and control facilities, missile systems, UAV storage and operations sites, radars, and helicopters” in Yemen in an effort to “degrade the Houthis’ ability” to attack military and merchant vessels.
Although no Houthi missiles have hit US Navy ships so far, the group has launched a series of missiles and drones at US-led coalition ships in the Red Sea.
HUY QUOC
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