A series of airstrikes carried out by the United States and the United Kingdom on Saturday destroyed or damaged 17 of 18 Houthi targets in Yemen, Department of Defense (DoD) officials told Fox News on Tuesday.
The targets included underground weapons storage facilities, missile storage facilities, one-way attack unmanned aerial systems, air defense systems, radars, and a helicopter, said DoD spokesperson U.S. Army Major Pete Nguyen.
HOUTHI REVELS' ATTACK SEVERELY DAMAGES A BELIZE-FLAGGED SHIP IN KEY STRAIT LEADING TO THE RED SEA
The coalition airstrikes targeted Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis, and came days after a British cargo ship was hit by a Houthi missile.
"More broadly, since the first coalition strikes on Jan. 11, we assess that we've destroyed or degraded more than 150 missiles and launchers, including anti-ship land attack and surface-to-air missiles, plus numerous communication capabilities, unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned surface vessels, coastal radars, air surveillance capabilities, rotary wing aircraft, underground facilities including weapon storage areas, and command and control buildings," Nguyen said.
On Tuesday, Pentagon press secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said the strikes have degraded "a significant amount of capability" for the Houthis.
The strikes, which also consisted of support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and New Zealand, came days after a British cargo ship was hit by a Houthi missile. U.S. Central Command called the strike an "environmental disaster," after an 18-mile oil slick was observed from space while the ship took on water and was in danger of sinking. Over 40,000 tons of fertilizer is on board.
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Last week, a U.S.-owned cargo ship was also hit by a missile.
The terror group has launched more than 45 attacks on commercial and naval vessels since mid-November, which disrupted the shipping industry and the global economy, officials said over the weekend.
