Dramatic footage shows the moment the US fired warplanes and missiles from its ships at Iranian-backed Houthi targets.
The USS Gravely, USS Carney and USS Dwight D. Eisenhower were among the warships that fired missiles at Houthi forces on Sunday. The attacks came in response to attacks by Houthi forces on civilian and military vessels in key Red Sea shipping waters.
US Central Command uploaded a video of the launches to X (formerly known as Twitter), showing the moments the deadly missiles were fired from the ships.
The attacks came after American military crews destroyed a Houthi cruise missile on Saturday.
U.S. Central Command said the “self-defense strike” was carried out about 4 a.m. local time (8 p.m. EST) before the order took effect.
A fleet of American warships has joined forces to fire missiles and support attacks on Iran-backed Houthi targets
The USS Gravely, USS Carney and USS Dwight D. Eisenhower were among the U.S. warships that fired missiles at Houthi forces on Sunday
US Central Command uploaded a video of the launches to X (formerly known as Twitter), showing the dramatic moments when the missiles are fired from the ships
The attacks came after American military crews destroyed a Houthi cruise missile on Saturday
“U.S. forces have identified the cruise missile in Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen and determined that it poses an imminent threat to U.S. Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region,” it said.
“This action will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer for U.S. Navy vessels and commercial vessels.”
On January 11, the US and Britain launched attacks against the Houthis in Yemen. The US military used more than 100 precision missiles to hit 60 targets at 16 locations.
Super Hornets, Navy destroyers and a submarine launched Tomahawk cruise missiles during the attack.
According to officials, locations such as command and control nodes, ammunition depots, launch systems, production facilities and air defense radar systems were hit.
At least one submarine was in action, the US would not confirm exactly which one it was, but the Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Florida (SSGN-728) entered the Red Sea in November, as USNI News reports. The ship has a capacity for 154 missiles.
Super Hornets from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) were deployed alongside Luftwaffe fighters originating from a base in the Middle East.
“These targeted attacks send a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to threaten freedom of navigation on one of the world’s most critical trade routes,” President Joe Biden said after the attacks .
“I will not hesitate to take further action as necessary to protect our people and the free flow of international trade.”
On Saturday, the UK said it had joined forces with the US to fight Houthi forces in Yemen as the third wave of attacks blew up at least 36 targets to “protect innocent lives”.
The UK carried out another wave of “proportionate and targeted attacks” against Iran-linked Houthi fighters.
The aim of the attacks is to further weaken Iranian-backed groups that have tirelessly attacked American and international interests with drones and missiles during the Israel-Hamas war.
British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps stressed the bombings were “not an escalation” of the Red Sea crisis and claimed the latest attacks had further weakened the Houthis' capabilities.
“The Houthis’ attacks on commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea are illegal and unacceptable, and it is our duty to protect innocent lives and uphold freedom of navigation,” he said.
“As a result, the Royal Air Force conducted a third wave of proportionate and targeted strikes against Houthi military targets in Yemen.”
Houthi fighters are seen on vehicles at a rally in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and in recent Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden on February 4
Pictured are Houthi fighters taking part in a rally in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and recent Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden on February 4
Yemen's Houthi fighter is pictured operating a heavy machine gun mounted on a vehicle during a rally in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip
“We acted alongside our U.S. allies, with the support of many international partners, in self-defense and in accordance with international law.”
Saturday's attacks against the Houthis were launched by US warships and American and British warplanes.
The attacks followed an airstrike in Iraq and Syria on Friday that targeted other Iran-backed militias and Iran's Revolutionary Guard in retaliation for the drone strike that killed three U.S. soldiers in Jordan last weekend.