U.S. Military Strikes Houthi Command Center in Yemen’s Capital

The U.S. military has carried out a precision airstrike on a key command-and-control facility operated by Iran-backed Houthi militants in Sana’a, Yemen’s capital city, according to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).The targeted facility, located in Houthi-controlled territory, served as a hub for coordinating its attacks on U.S. Navy warships and merchant vessels navigating the Southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. “The strike reflects CENTCOM’s ongoing commitment to protect U.S. and coalition personnel, regional partners, and international shipping,” CENTCOM announced on X (formerly Twitter).

The strike comes roughly a week after two U.S. Navy destroyers, the USS Stockdale and USS O’Kane, intercepted a barrage of Houthi-launched drones and an anti-ship cruise missile while escorting three U.S.-flagged merchant ships in the Gulf of Aden on December 9-10. The attack, which occurred shortly after the vessels departed Djibouti, caused no injuries or damage.

Notably, the same destroyers intercepted similar threats late last month targeting what appeared to be the same merchant ships en route to Djibouti. Over the past year, the Yemen-based Houthi militants, an Iranian proxy group acting in solidarity with Palestinians in the Israel-Hamas conflict, have intensified their drone and missile attacks on commercial shipping and military vessels in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb Strait, and Gulf of Aden

The latest counter strike underscores a broader U.S. effort to combat the growing maritime security threat posed by Houthi forces. In October, CENTCOM executed targeted airstrikes on Houthi weapons storage facilities using U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bombers. The operation neutralized hardened underground bunkers housing advanced conventional weapons, including missiles used in recent attacks.

In a related development, Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder on Monday 16 Dec confirmed the arrival of the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (CSG) in CENTCOM’s area of responsibility, which includes the Southern Red Sea. The carrier group comprises the flagship USS Harry S. Truman; carrier Air Wing 1, featuring nine aviation squadrons; USS Gettysburg, a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser; and two Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers, USS Stout and USS Jason Dunham The Harry S. Truman CSG’s deployment follows operations in the Mediterranean Sea and recent rotations by the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Theodore Roosevelt CSGs in the region.

With ongoing Houthi attacks and intensified maritime security operations, attention focuses on these vital trade waterways while concerns grow about regional instability disrupting international shipping.