On the fourth day of the attack, the US military said it targeted 14 Houthi rockets loaded “for firing” from Yemen.

The U.S. military said its forces launched attacks on 14 Houthi missiles “loaded to be fired” from Yemen on the fourth day of direct attacks on the Iran-aligned group in less than a week.

The missiles posed a threat to commercial and US Navy vessels in the region, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Wednesday.

The group, which controls most of Yemen and has been attacking ships in the region since November, said it would not stop its attacks on shipping routes despite increasing attacks by the US military.

“We will not give up attacking Israeli ships or ships heading to ports in occupied Palestine… in support of the Palestinian people,” the group’s spokesman Mohammed Abdelsalam told Al Jazeera on Thursday.

“These missiles on launch tracks … could have been fired at any time, prompting U.S. forces to exercise their inherent right and obligation to self-defense,” CENTCOM said on X.

The attacks are intended to “impair the Houthis’ ability to continue their reckless attacks on international and commercial shipping in the Red Sea, the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden,” it said.

US CENTCOM attacks Houthi terrorist rocket launchers

As part of ongoing multinational efforts to protect freedom of navigation and prevent attacks on U.S. and partner maritime traffic in the Red Sea, the U.S. central government on January 17 at approximately 11:59 p.m. (Sanaa time)… pic.twitter.com/MMCQbzr1f7

– US Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 18, 2024

The Houthi-controlled Saba news agency said the US and UK launched attacks in Hodeidah, Taiz, Dhamar, al-Bayda and Saada provinces overnight. However, CENTCOM made no mention of Britain’s involvement in the recent attacks.

“It is an open war and they must endure the earth-shattering, powerful and devastating attacks and reactions, God willing,” Houthi official Ali al-Qahoum wrote on X after the recent attacks.

The USA on Wednesday again described the Yemeni group as a “terrorist” organization in response to the ongoing attacks and threats against shipping and imposed sanctions on them. The designation will only come into effect after 30 days.

The Houthis said the designation would not affect their measures to prevent Israeli ships or vessels bound for Israel from crossing the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

Human rights activists and analysts believe that the US move could lead to this This has a negative impact on the Yemeni civilian population.

In response, the Houthis, who support the Palestinian armed group Hamas, launched their attacks Israel’s war against Gaza. Their attacks have slowed trade between Asia and Europe and alarmed major world powers.

Earlier on Wednesday, CENTCOM said a drone launched from areas controlled by Houthi rebels in Yemen hit the U.S. ship Genco Picardie in the Gulf of Aden. It was said that there was some damage, but no injuries.