US Army destroys four Houthi vessels in the Red Sea

The US Army is continuing to target Houthi vessels in the Red Sea, its Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Sunday.

“In the past 24 hours US Central Command (USCENTCOM) forces successfully destroyed four Iranian-backed Houthi uncrewed surface vessels (USV) in the Red Sea,” CENTCOM said in a statement posted to X.

“It was determined the USVs presented an imminent threat to U.S. and coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region. These actions were taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure,” the statement added.

The Iranian-backed Houthis have upped their attacks in the region since the start of the war in Gaza, having launched drones towards southern Israel and targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea region.

In the wake of the uptick in Houthi attacks, the US formed a coalition, made up of more than 20 countries, aimed at safeguarding commercial traffic in the Red Sea from attacks by the Houthis.

In mid-January, with support from other countries, the US and Britain targeted just under 30 Houthi locations with 150 different weapons. They have since carried out several rounds of strikes against Houthi targets.

The Houthis have been unfazed by the strikes, saying that the campaign against the "Zionist enemy" will continue and that the attacks against the American and British ships will not stop.

Last week, the Houthi rebels fired a UAV towards Tel Aviv, which exploded near a residential building, killing one person and injuring ten.

The Saudi channel Al-Arabiya later reported that the United States intercepted a ballistic missile and three UAVs launched by the Houthis towards Israel, but a fourth UAV managed to reach Tel Aviv.