The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said early on Tuesday U.S navy ships had conducted a strike against “explosive un-crewed surface vehicles” belonging to the Houthi rebels in Yemen on Monday afternoon.
In its latest statement CENTCOM added the vehicles “presented an imminent threat to US Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region” and the action, carried out at approximately 3:30 p.m. local time, was in self-defense.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) also said on Tuesday it had received a report of an incident west of Yemen’s Hodeidah.
The US and its allies have been conducting strikes against the Houthi rebels in Yemen saying the strikes were necessary to safeguard the security of ships in the Red Sea and to support international trade.
The UN on Monday urged parties in the conflict to pull back from the brink and consider the “unbearable human and economic cost” of a region wide conflagration.