Dec. 31 (UPI) — U.S. Navy ships and aircraft struck several Houthi targets in Yemen’s capital city of Sana’a and coastal areas controlled by Houthis on Monday and Tuesday.
U.S. naval forces conducted multiple precision strikes against a Houthi command and control facility and advanced conventional weapons-production facilities that produced missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, Central Command officers said Tuesday in a press release.
Video footage shows U.S. Navy aircraft and missiles launching from vessels during the overnight hours to conduct the precision strikes.
Houthi militants have used the targeted facilities to conduct attacks on U.S. Navy warships and merchant vessels in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, according to the Central Command.
U.S. Navy and Air Force aircraft destroyed a Houthi coastal radar site, seven cruise missiles and one-way attack UAVs over the Red Sea during the operation.
No U.S. personal were injured and no U.S. military equipment was damaged during the strikes.
The military operation is part of Central Command’s efforts to weaken the ability of the Iran-supported Houthis to threaten regional partners of the United States, including Israel.
The operation also degrades the Houthis’ ability to target military and commercial shipping in the region.
The Houthis on the morning of Dec. 21 struck a neighborhood in Tel Aviv-Jaffa with a missile that landed in an open area and caused minor injuries to 16 when the blast shattered windows on nearby buildings.
The Houthis on Dec. 22 also took credit for downing a U.S. Navy F/A-18 fighter-bomber aircraft launched from the USS Harry S.Truman aircraft carrier over the Red Sea.
Although the Houthis said they shot down the aircraft, Central Command said the USS Gettysburg mistakenly fired upon and down the aircraft.
Both of the aircraft’s crew members ejected and were recovered by the Navy, with one sustaining minor injuries from the friendly-fire incident.
Central Command said the aircraft and its aircrew participated in precision airstrikes on a Houthi missile storage facility and a Houthi command center on Dec. 22.