CNN —The US carried out a series of strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen late Saturday evening, according to a US defense official, targeting numerous weapons storage facilities across at least three locations.
The facilities housed advanced conventional weapons used to target ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, said the official, who added that the US used fighter jets to carry out the attack.
The Iran-backed Houthis have for months targeted ships in the Red Sea, one of the world’s busiest waterways, calling the attacks a response to Israel’s war in Gaza against Hamas.
The Houthis, Hamas and Hezbollah are all part of an Iran-led alliance spanning Yemen, Syria, Gaza and Iraq that has attacked Israel and its allies since the war began last year.
Austin said he authorized the strikes at the direction of President Joe Biden to “further degrade” the Houthis’ capabilities.
Persons:
Lloyd Austin, Austin, Joe Biden, “, ”, CNN’s Haley Britzky
Organizations:
CNN
Locations:
Yemen, Aden, Iran, Red, Gaza, Syria, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon
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