CNN
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U.S. defense officials announced Sunday that the United States carried out strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen for the second night in a row.
Details of the type of weapon, target and location of the attack were not immediately available, but there were reports of explosions in Amran and Saada provinces, north of the capital Sanaa, where the US has carried out attacks in the past.
On Saturday, the United States used fighter jets to carry out a series of attacks on at least three Houthi strongholds. They include facilities used by Iranian-backed rebels to store advanced conventional weapons that have been used to target U.S. warships and commercial vessels. in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
The Red Sea is an important waterway connected to the Suez Canal, through which 10% to 15% of world trade passes. Activities along the strait were effectively shut down as the attacks continued.
The Houthis are part of an Iranian-led alliance that spans Yemen, Syria, Gaza and Iraq, along with Hamas and Hezbollah, and have been attacking Israel and its allies since the war in Gaza began. They insist they will not stop attacking Israel and its allies until a ceasefire is established in the Palestinian enclaves.
The Houthi attack comes amid Yemen’s dire humanitarian crisis. It has worsened since the 2014 war, when Houthi forces stormed the capital Sanaa and overthrew the internationally recognized, Saudi-backed government.
The Arabian Peninsula country of more than 34 million people is suffering from severe food shortages, exacerbated by climate change. Earlier this year, the country was hit by deadly floods, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has warned that the situation will only get worse for the 4.5 million Yemenis who are now internally displaced and in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
The United States has struck Houthi targets in Yemen multiple times over the past 11 months, and the attacks continue. In mid-October, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced that the United States had used stealth B-2 bombers to attack insurgents for the first time. The B-2 bomber is one of the most sophisticated long-range attack weapons in the country and can carry a much larger payload than a fighter jet.
Austin said the attack was authorized at President Joe Biden’s direction “to make clear to the Houthis that there will be consequences for their illegal and reckless attacks.” .
CNN reported last month that the US was strengthening its military presence in the region amid Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip and conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon. U.S. forces in the region include an aircraft carrier strike group, several additional guided missile destroyers, an amphibious readiness group, a maritime expeditionary force, and a wide range of aircraft, including fighter and attack aircraft.
