Destroying an air defense system and a ground control station for the Houthis in Yemen

Shafaq News/ On Tuesday, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that US forces destroyed "an air defense system with two missiles ready to be launched and a ground control station in the areas controlled by the Houthis in Yemen."

The US Central Command added in a statement that a drone launched by the Iranian-backed Houthis from Yemen over the Red Sea was also destroyed.

CENTCOM stated, "On April 8, between approximately 12:15 p.m. and 2:40 p.m. (Sanaa time), US Central Command forces succeeded in engaging and destroying an air defense system with two ready-to-launch missiles, a ground control station, and a drone."

CENTCOM added, "On April 7, at approximately 8:00 a.m. (Sanaa time), an anti-ship ballistic missile launched from a Houthi-controlled area in Yemen towards the Gulf of Aden, where a coalition ship was located, was destroyed. The ship is accompanied by M/V Hope Island, a Marshall Islands-flagged, United Kingdom-owned and Italian-operated coalition cargo ship."

"This was the fifth missile detected against the coalition ship M/V Hope Island. No casualties or damage were reported by US ships, coalition ships, or merchant ships." US Central Command explained.

CENTCOM stressed that US Central Command is "committed to protecting freedom of navigation and making international waters protected and safer for coalition ships and commercial vessels."

Ansarallah (Houthis) have been launching frequent drone and missile attacks on international commercial ships in the Gulf of Aden since mid-November. They claim solidarity with Palestinians facing Israel's actions in Gaza. These near-daily assaults have compelled companies to redirect their ships through longer and more expensive routes around Africa, sparking concerns about potential destabilization in the Middle East amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

In response to these attacks, the United States and Britain have targeted Houthi assets.

The impact of the Houthi decision reaches halfway to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a 20-kilometer-wide passage that serves as the gateway to the Red Sea. Approximately 15% of global shipping traffic transits through this strait to and from the Suez Canal.

Despite many Western accusations suggesting Iran influences Houthis to target vessels, both Tehran and the Yemeni group deny such claims. Iran asserts that Ansarallah makes independent decisions akin to other movements in the "Axis of Resistance," which includes Lebanon's Hezbollah, Iraqi factions, and others.

All groups within the Axis have declared that their attacks will persist until a ceasefire is achieved in the Gaza Strip, where Israel's actions have resulted in the deaths of over 33,300 Palestinians, predominantly children and women.

The Israeli aggression has also displaced approximately 1.5 million people, leading to the destruction of infrastructure, hospitals, schools, and even UN facilities.

The United Nations reports that the Gaza Strip is currently experiencing famine conditions, exacerbated by Tel Aviv's rejection of humanitarian aid through Rafah.

Tragically, dozens of children, including newborns in Gaza, have died of hunger so far.