CENTCOM Destroys Houthi Ballistic Anti-Ship Missile and Two Drones Supported by the Islamic Republic

On Wednesday, April 3, CENTCOM announced that it had destroyed a ballistic anti-ship missile and two drones launched by Houthi forces supported by the Islamic Republic towards the USS Growler in the Red Sea. CENTCOM stated that on the same day, it also destroyed a mobile surface-to-air missile system in Houthi-controlled territory. CENTCOM reiterated its commitment to monitoring any movements of the 'terrorist' Houthi group in order to maintain maritime security and global trade, and to neutralize their sabotage actions in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and surrounding waters. General Alexus Grynkewich, the senior U.S. Air Force commander in the Middle East, noted that Houthi attacks have decreased due to a shortage of drone and anti-ship ballistic missile supplies. He emphasized that U.S. and allied retaliatory strikes have certainly impacted the behavior and frequency of Houthi attacks. According to the Associated Press, Grynkewich stated that the U.S. did not have a precise assessment of Houthi capabilities before the attacks began, and the challenge is understanding how many weapons they had at the start of their assaults. He referred to the Islamic Republic's role in resupplying the Houthis as a 'complex factor' and indicated that the U.S. believes the Houthis had dozens of anti-ship ballistic missiles at the onset of their attacks. He noted that even if the Islamic Republic wanted to suppress the Houthis or cut off their weapons and supplies, it would still take time for the effects of these shortages to become apparent. The Iran-backed Houthi militant group, which controls parts of Yemen, began attacking commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden a few weeks after the outbreak of war between Israel and the 'terrorist' group Hamas, under the pretext of supporting the people of Gaza. These attacks are primarily conducted using drones and anti-ship ballistic missiles, but many of their recent attacks have failed. The U.S. military, along with a coalition of allies, neutralizes these 'terrorist' group attacks daily. Following an escalation of Houthi attacks last winter, U.S.-led coalition forces targeted Houthi positions in Yemen, destroying much of their infrastructure. The Biden administration, which had removed the Houthis from the list of terrorist organizations shortly after taking office in January 2021, placed the group back on the list of 'specially designated global terrorists' on February 16, 2023. The U.S. destroyed two Houthi drones and targeted three warehouses in Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen.