Yemen airstrikes – live: US carries out new strike as it seizes Iran weapons bound for Houthis
The US military has carried out a new strike in Yemen in the latest military action against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels over their targeting of Red Sea shipping.
Two officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the strike targeted four anti-ship missiles.
This comes as US naval forces have seized the first batch of Iranian weapons components bound for Houthi rebels since the militant group began its Red Sea attacks late last year.
US Central Command, which oversees the Middle East, said US Navy Seals, supported by helicopters and drones, conducted a night-time seizure of a vessel off the coast of Somalia, south of Yemen. They said it had been illegally transporting weapons parts to the Houthis.
“Initial analysis indicates these same weapons have been employed by the Houthis to threaten and attack innocent mariners on international merchant ships transiting in the Red Sea,” the statement read.
It comes as the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) announced they were investigating a missile attack on another commercial vessel in the Red Sea.
Greek officials have confirmed that the attacked ship is the Malta-flagged Zografia, which had been heading to the Suez Canal when it was struck.
