The US conducted five strikes in total, three of them against Houthi anti-ship missiles, one against a surface drone ship, and one against an underwater drone vessel.
“CENTCOM identified the anti-ship cruise missiles, unmanned underwater vessel, and the unmanned surface vessel in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen...” read a statement from US Central Command, while claiming the Houthi presence was "an imminent threat to US Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region" and labeling the US response as “self-defense strikes.”
“These actions will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S. Navy and merchant vessels,” the statement read, without clarifying the justification for US Navy ships' presence in the Red Sea. The body of water lies between the continents of Asia and Africa in the Indian Ocean, thousands of miles away from the United States.
The Ansar Allah movement, known in the West as the “Houthis,” has attacked Israel-linked ships in the Red Sea since Israel’s military operation in the Palestinian Gaza Strip began last October. The group, which controls large portions of Yemen, cites governments’ obligation under international law to prevent genocide, a term that numerous organizations have claimed applies to Israel’s actions.
Earlier Sunday it was reported that multiple patients have died at Gaza’s Nasser Hospital as the medical facility has run out of oxygen. Israel has destroyed most of the hospitals in the Gaza Strip, often claiming they serve as headquarters for the Hamas resistance movement. Some journalistic investigations by international news organizations have called such claims into question.
The United States has struck dozens of Houthi targets in recent months as the Biden administration continues to support Israel with lethal aid. The Houthis’ resistance campaign, which originally only targeted Israel-linked ships, has expanded to bar ships of US and UK origin from the Red Sea as well after the US-led attacks.
US Central Command is one of multiple unified combatant command organizations the US armed forces operate to project military power around the world. The United States carves up the globe into six areas with their own geographic command units, including Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), Africa Command (AFRICOM), and Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM).
US Central Command (CENTCOM) focuses specifically on the oil-rich Middle East region, which the United States has attempted to dominate for decades through coups and political subversion.
Additionally the US military operates a Space Command (SPACECOM) division and so-called functional combatant commands, including Cyber Command (CYBERCOM), Strategic Command (STRATCOM), and Special Operations Command (SOCOM).
Israel has been a particular focus of US support in recent decades, with the United States recognizing the utility of backing the neo-colonialist movement as a way to ensure Western influence in the Middle East.
A report from the US Congress’ Congressional Research Service documents hundreds of instances of the use of the United States armed forces around the globe. Each occasion is typically justified under the claim of “protecting American interests,” which usually refers to the commercial interests of US businesses.
The United States has led campaigns of regime change and political subversion in numerous countries, including Haiti, El Salvador, Afghanistan, Iraq, Bulgaria, Panama, Nicaragua, Libya, Morocco, Grenada, Angola, Australia, Guatemala, Bolivia, Greece, Chile, Uruguay, Ghana, Indonesia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Brazil, the Congo, Ecuador, France, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Italy, Syria, Costa Rica, Iran, Albania, Korea, the Philippines, and China, according to researcher William Blum, who extensively documented such efforts in his acclaimed and eye-opening book Killing Hope.