Red Sea Crisis: US strikes two Houthi anti-ship missiles in Yemen

The US military carried out more strikes in Yemen early yesterday, destroying two Houthi anti-ship missiles that were aimed at the Red Sea and were preparing to launch, the US military said in a statement.

The US strikes, which took place at roughly 2:30 am (2330 GMT), are the latest against the Iran-backed group over its targeting of Red Sea shipping, and followed a larger round of strikes a day earlier.

The Houthis, who control the most populous parts of Yemen, have said their attacks are in solidarity with Palestinians as Israel strikes Gaza. The attacks have disrupted global shipping and deepened concern that fallout from the Israel strikes in Gaza could destabilize the Middle East.

"US forces identified the missiles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined that they presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and the US Navy ships in the region," the US military's Central Command said in a statement. "US forces subsequently struck and destroyed the missiles in self-defense."

Since the United States started striking Houthi military sites in Yemen on January 11, the Pentagon says it has destroyed or degraded over 25 missile launch and deployment facilities and more than 20 missiles.

It says it has also struck drones, coastal radar and Houthi air surveillance capabilities as well as weapon storage areas.

Meanwhile, Houthi rebels have ordered all US and British staff of the United Nations and its agencies to leave the country within a month, a UN official told AFP.

In a letter dated January 20 and shared on social media, the authorities in the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa told the UN resident coordinator that employees with British and US nationality had one month to "prepare to leave the country".

The United States has asked China to urge Tehran to rein in the Houthi rebels but has seen little sign of help from Beijing, the Financial Times reported yesterday, citing US officials.

The US has repeatedly raised the matter with top Chinese officials in the past three months, the report said.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan and his deputy, Jon Finer, discussed the issue in meetings this month in Washington with Liu Jianchao, head of the International Liaison Department of China's Communist Party, the newspaper said.