US hits 230 targets in Yemen in reply to Red Sea strikes

The US has struck 230 targets in Yemen following Houthi-led attacks against shipping in the Red Sea, a top Pentagon official said, offering the most detailed public accounting of the airstrikes so far, Report informs via Bloomberg.

Late last month, American forces also interdicted ships carrying lethal aid from Iran to the Houthis, including drone components, missile warheads, anti-tank missile assemblies and other material, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Daniel Shapiro told a Senate Foreign Relations Committee subcommittee on Tuesday.

He said that aid was “in clear violation of international law,” and that while US strikes have likely destroyed hundreds of Houthi weapons, the group appears “committed to sustaining standoff maritime attacks with their remaining inventory of weapons.”

The testimony from Shapiro and Tim Lenderking, the US envoy for the conflict in Yemen, marked the first congressional testimony by US officials since President Joe Biden ordered strikes against the Houthis last month in a bid to end their attacks on the Red Sea, a vital trade waterway.

In one of the latest actions announced after the Senate testimony, US Central Command said its aircraft and a coalition warship shot down five Houthi one-way attack airborne drones in the Red Sea. The move occurred Tuesday between the hours of 9:50 p.m. (GMT+3) and 10:55 p.m. local time, Centcom said in a post on the X social media platform.