Yemen | New drone and anti-ship missile attacks by the Houthis

(Dubai) Houthi rebels launched drones and anti-ship missiles on Friday after US-British strikes against their positions in different sectors of Yemen, the US military said.

In a message on was damaged at sea.

The rebels also fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles from Yemen towards the Gulf of Aden “without causing any injuries or damage”, Centcom said.

The Houthis had earlier on Friday threatened to intensify their attacks on ships off Yemen, after US-British strikes on their positions left 16 people dead, they said.

This toll, which could not be independently verified, is one of the heaviest suffered by these pro-Iranian insurgents since the United States and the United Kingdom began targeting their installations, to protect the navigation in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The joint strikes were carried out against 13 rebel sites to prevent future attacks, Centcom said.

Since November, the Houthis have carried out dozens of attacks on ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, saying they are acting in solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has been at war for nearly eight months against the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas.

Hamas, the Yemeni Houthi rebels and the Lebanese Islamist movement Hezbollah are part of the “axis of resistance”, a grouping of armed movements hostile to Israel and the United States, supported by Iran.

The United States, a close ally of Israel, set up a multinational force in December to protect navigation in this strategic area and launched the first strikes in Yemen in January, with the help of the United Kingdom.