CENTCOM Attacks Fifteen Houthi Positions; Military Bases and an Airport Under Houthi Control Targeted

The United States Central Command announced that its forces attacked 15 targets, including 'military capabilities of the Houthis,' in areas controlled by this Iran-backed group on Friday, October 5. CENTCOM did not provide details about these targets. However, local residents told Reuters they witnessed explosions at military bases and an airport controlled by the Houthis. Al-Masirah, the news network operated by the Houthis, also reported that the targets of the U.S. airstrikes included areas in Sana'a, the capital of Yemen, Hodeidah airport, the city of Dhamar in the south, southeast of Al-Bayda province, and several Houthi military bases in this province. The U.S. Central Command described these attacks as part of 'protecting freedom of navigation and making international waters safer for U.S. and coalition ships and commercial vessels.' The U.S. attacks on Friday against the Iran-aligned Houthis come as the U.S. government has primarily acted defensively over the past year against Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden to prevent drone and missile attacks by this group against commercial ships and U.S. naval vessels. Since November of last year, the Houthis have conducted nearly 100 attacks on commercial ships passing through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden under the pretext of supporting the Palestinians in Gaza, resulting in the sinking of two ships, the seizure of another, and the deaths of at least four sailors. The current U.S. administration, which had removed the Houthis from the list of terrorist organizations at the beginning of Joe Biden's presidency, placed this rebel group back on the list of 'specially designated global terrorists' on February 16, 2023. The British newspaper Telegraph reported on Wednesday, January 10, 2024, citing its intelligence sources inside Iran, that the Houthi group has been trained at the 'Khamenei Marine Science and Technology University' in Zibakenar, Rasht, and that Ali Khamenei personally oversees their activities. The U.S. has sanctioned Houthi arms supply networks. Two ships near the port of Hodeidah, Yemen, were targeted by missile and drone attacks. The first Israeli attack on central Beirut targeted a unit of a building. To prevent the spread of war in the Middle East, Biden says he will talk to the Israeli Prime Minister. Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel still has tough days ahead.