U.S. strikes Houthi target threatening Red Sea vessels

U.S. forces Saturday morning fired on a site under the control of the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen that they said was threatening maritime travel through the Red Sea.

The attacks comes one day after U.S. and UK forces launched a joint assault on the militants, who have been harassing shipping in the critical waterway and forcing U.S. ships to intercept their missile launches.

Associated Press journalists reported hearing a single explosion Saturday morning. Prior to the strike, the U.S. warned commercial vessels to avoid the Red Sea for 72 hours.

The Houthis are one of three primary factions in the ongoing Yemeni Civil War and control a swath of territory along the Red Sea coast. U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan in December warned that the U.S. would take "appropriate action" in response to Houthi aggression.

"We have made clear that the entire world needs to step up together — not the U.S. alone, but all of us working together — to deal with this — this emerging challenge that the — that the Houthis present, backed by Iran," he said. "We are going to take appropriate action in consultation with others, and we will do so at a time and place of our choosing."

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.