Jan. 24 (UPI) -- The U.S. military early Wednesday conducted its ninth attack in Yemen in less than two weeks, hitting two Houthi anti-ship missiles officials said were aimed at the southern Red Sea and were prepared to launch.
U.S. Central Command said the targeted attack was carried out at about 2:30 a.m. local time Wednesday. The missiles hit were located in areas of Yemen under the control of the Houthi militants and "presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels," it said.
"This action will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S. Navy vessels and merchant vessels," CENTCOM said in the statement.
The strikes come amid rising tensions in the Middle East that were sparked by Israel's war in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza against Hamas, another Iran proxy militia.
Since the war began, the Houthis have attacked commercial shipping vessels transiting the important trade route of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, describing the strikes as a response to Israel's aggression against Palestinians.
The Houthis have attacked at least 33 ships since Nov. 19, according to U.S. officials, leading to at least 14 shipping companies ceasing Red Sea operations.
Since the United States' first attack on Jan. 11, the U.S. military has conducted nine rounds of strikes on the Houthis in Yemen as the Biden administration seeks to degrade the militia's ability to target shipping vessels.
Late Monday, the United States and Britain -- with support of other allies -- fired between 25 and 30 precision-guided munitions at multiple Houthi targets, including an underground storage site, at eight Yemen locations. An additional strike by the United States, hitting an anti-ship cruise missile, was conducted soon after, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters during a press conference on Tuesday.
"Our aim remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea," Ryder said.
He said the U.S. attacks have degraded more than 25 missile launch and deployment facilities and more than 20 missiles have been destoryed. They have also hit unmanned drones and vehicles as well as coastal radar and air surveillance capabilities and weapons storage, he said.
"We have been focused on targeting the kinds of things that they've been employing or using to conduct attacks against international shipping and mariners, and that will continue to be our focus," he said.
The last Houthi attack of a vessel was five days ago, he added.