Late Wednesday, a U.S.** said the U.S. attacked as many as 10 drones in Yemen ready to launch amid escalating tensions, opening a new chapter in the Gaza war spreading through the region.
The Iranian-aligned Houthis have fired a wave of drones and missiles at merchant ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in recent weeks, saying it was a response to Israeli military operations in Gaza and solidarity with the Palestinians. The Houthis control Yemen's most populous region.
The actions of the Houthis have disrupted international shipping.
The United States and Britain launched attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen and put the Houthis back on the list of "terrorist organizations."
The Houthis said earlier Wednesday that their naval forces had launched an attack on an "American merchant ship" in the Gulf of Aden hours after firing missiles at the USS Greifley.
The Houthi attacks on ships inside and outside the Red Sea have slowed the gap between Asia and Europe, raised concerns about bottlenecks, and alarmed powers that feared that the war in Gaza could turn into a regional conflict.
U.S. Biden said earlier in January that strikes on Houthi targets would continue, although he acknowledged they might not stop the attacks.
The Israeli attack on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip follows a surprise attack by Hamas militants in southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people. Gaza's health ministry said it has been nearly 270,000 people were killed in the fighting.
List of high-quality authors