The US military has launched new strikes on Yemen, marking the fourth time in a week that it has illegally bombed the war-torn country.
The Yemeni Saba news agency reported early Thursday that the aerial assault hit the provinces of Hudaydah, Taʿizz, Dhamar, al-Bayda, and Saada.
It added that British aircraft were also involved in the act of aggression.
In a statement, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that its strikes took place at approximately 11:59 p.m. Sana’a time on Wednesday, alleging that they targeted 14 missiles that were loaded to be fired from Yemen.
It also claimed that the strikes, along with other actions, will “degrade” the “capabilities” of the Yemeni armed forces to continue their attacks in the Red Sea, the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden.
Two US officials said that during the raid, Tomahawk missiles were launched from US Navy surface vessels and the USS Florida, a guided-missile submarine.
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s al-Mayadeen news channel reported that the aggression was accompanied by the presence of surveillance aircraft over the western part of Yemen.
The US strikes came on the same day that it re-designated Yemen’s Ansarullah resistance movement as a “terrorist” group amid frustration with anti-Israel naval operations by the Yemeni armed forces in the Red Sea.
The United States and its allies have also launched illegal attacks on Yemen in violation of the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as international law.
Israel waged its genocidal war on Gaza on October 7 following a historic operation by the Palestinian Hamas resistance group against the occupying entity.
The US has offered untrammeled support for Israel during the onslaught that has so far killed over 24,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured at least 61,000 others.
In solidarity with the Palestinians in besieged Gaza, the Yemeni armed forces have targeted ships in the Red Sea with owners linked to Israel or those going to and from ports in the occupied territories.
The most recent incident was against the US-owned Genco Picardy bulk carrier in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday.
In response to Yemen’s maritime campaign in support of Palestine, the US has formed a military coalition in the Red Sea and endangered maritime navigation in the strategic waterway.