Cairo, 9 March 2024 (dpa/MIA) - The US armed forces have announced that they carried out a self-defence strike against the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen on Friday.

Two Houthi anti-ship missiles mounted on trucks were the target, the Pentagon's regional command announced on Saturday morning on the X social media platform, formerly Twitter. The incident occurred on Friday morning around 9:50 am (0750 GMT).

Houthi militias also fired two ballistic anti-ship missiles from Yemen at the MV Propel Fortune in the Gulf of Aden on Friday afternoon, the statement added. The ship, which flies the Singapore flag, is also owned and operated by Singapore. However, the missiles did not hit the freighter. No injuries or damage were reported.

By firing at ships in the Red Sea, the militant Islamist Houthi rebels want to force an end to the Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, which followed the attacks by Palestinian militant group Hamas in Israel on October 7 last year.

Due to the Houthi threat in the Red Sea, major shipping companies are increasingly avoiding the shortest sea route between Asia and Europe. The route takes everal weeks longer and this is having a considerable impact on the global economy. The US and the UK have therefore repeatedly struck Houthi targets in Yemen.

Photo: MIA Archive