NEW YORK, February 4. /TASS/. The United States has carried out another round of strikes in Yemen, targeting six anti-ship cruise missiles of Houthis from the rebel movement Ansar Allah, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.

"On February 3, at approximately 7:20 p.m. (Sanaa time), US Central Command forces conducted strikes in self-defense against six Houthi anti-ship cruise missiles prepared to launch against ships in the Red Sea. US forces identified the cruise missiles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined they presented an imminent threat to US Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region," CENTCOM wrote on its X page.

Following the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Gaza Strip, the Yemen-based Houthis warned that they would carry out strikes on Israeli territory and would bar any ships associated with the Jewish state from sailing across the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait until the operation in the Palestinian enclave ended. Since mid-November 2023, the Yemeni rebel group has attacked dozens of civilian ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

On January 12, US and UK aircraft, naval ships and submarines delivered joint strikes on Ansar Allah sites in some Yemeni cities, including Sanaa and Hodeidah. Houthi missile sites, drones and radiolocation systems were targeted. On January 23, the UK and the US carried out a second officially confirmed series of joint strikes, with the main targets being Houthi underground warehouses and facilities related to missile launches and air surveillance.