Earlier, a source told Sputnik that US fighter jets had carried out an airstrike on the Houthi defense ministry building in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa.
"On Dec. 16 Yemen time, US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted a precision airstrike against a key command and control facility operated by Iran-backed Houthis within Houthi-controlled territory in Sana’a, Yemen," the CENTCOM said in a statement.
From this military facility, the Houthis allegedly coordinated attacks against US commercial ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, CENTCOM added.
The Ansar Allah movement, which governs northern Yemen and controls much of Yemen's Red Sea coast, declared its support for Palestine in late 2023 and vowed to attack any ships linked to Israel after the Jewish state launched a military offensive in the Gaza Strip in response to Hamas' October 2023 attack. The movement pledged not to interfere with freedom of navigation in the region. Some companies suspended shipping through the Red Sea over security concerns.