United States–Yemen relations

In response to escalating tensions in the Red Sea, the US Central Command has taken decisive action in Yemen, destroying a surface-to-air missile launcher in Houthi-controlled areas. The operation, which occurred around 5 pm on February 19, aimed to ensure the safety of commercial and coalition ships navigating the region.

U.S. forces in the Red Sea have successfully conducted "five self-defense strikes" to foil attacks by land and sea from Huthi-controlled areas of Yemen, the American military said Sunday.

Reports from British maritime security company Ambrey reveal that a Greek bulk carrier, flying the flag of the Marshall Islands, was targeted by two missiles in separate incidents in the Bab el Mandeb Strait. The vessel's crew reported being unharmed, with the ship continuing its course toward its next port destination.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is working "tirelessly" to solve the Red Sea crisis, which is severely disrupting the global transport of goods, its head Arsenio Dominguez told AFP.

The United States military recently executed a series of seven defensive strikes against Houthi rebel targets situated in Yemen.

The United States military confirmed Thursday its forces conducted multiple strikes against Huthi missile systems as the Yemen-based rebel group prepared to launch attacks that threatened U.S. Navy and merchant ships.

The joint air raids in Yemen come a day after a separate wave of unilateral American strikes against Iran-linked targets in Iraq and Syria that were carried out in response to the killing of three U.S. soldiers in Jordan on Jan. 28.

US Central Command Forces executed targeted strikes on an Iranian-backed Houthi UAV ground control station and 10 Houthi one-way UAVs in Yemen, emphasizing a proactive response to an imminent threat. The operation, conducted at 1:30 am (Sanaa Time), aimed to neutralize the Houthi rebels' potential danger to merchant vessels and US Navy ships in the region.

U.S. forces struck an anti-ship missile in Huthi-held Yemen that they said was ready to fire early Saturday, hours after the Iran-backed rebels caused a fire on a British tanker in the Gulf of Aden with a similar munition.

The U.N. trade body has sounded an alarm that global trade is being disrupted by attacks in the Red Sea, the war in Ukraine, and low water levels in the Panama Canal.

Jan Hoffmann, a trade expert at UNCTAD, warned that shipping costs have already surged and energy and food costs are being affected, raising inflation risks.