The US navy stated on Wednesday that its forces carried out strikes on 14 missiles that have been loaded and able to be fired from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

US Central Command stated in a social media submit that the Houthi missiles introduced an imminent risk to service provider vessels and US Navy ships within the area and will have been fired at any time.

The US carried out strikes on the Houthi missiles at round 11.59pm (Sanaa time) on January 17.

US Central Command asserted that the pre-emptive strikes would degrade the Houthi’s capabilities to proceed their reckless assaults on worldwide and business transport within the Red Sea, the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden.

“The actions by the Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists continue to endanger international mariners and disrupt the commercial shipping lanes in the Southern Red Sea and adjacent waterways,” stated General Michael Erik Kurilla, USCENTCOM Commander. “We will continue to take actions to protect the lives of innocent mariners and we will always protect our people.”

The strikes followed an official announcement Wednesday that the US has put the Houthis back on its list of specially designated global terrorists. The sanctions that come with the formal designation are meant to sever violent extremist groups from their sources of financing.

“Over the previous months, Yemen-based Houthi militants have engaged in unprecedented assaults in opposition to United States navy forces and worldwide maritime vessels working within the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. These assaults match the textbook definition of terrorism. They have endangered U.S. personnel, civilian mariners, and our companions, jeopardized international commerce, and threatened freedom of navigation,” said US national security advisor Jake Sullivan.

Sullivan stressed that the decision is a response to the continuing threats and attacks perpetrated by the Houthis in the strategic waterways.

The designation will come into effect 30 days from now, allowing for the implementation of robust humanitarian carve-outs to ensure that the action targets the Houthis without adversely impacting the people of Yemen. Sullivan assured that unprecedented carve-outs and licenses will be introduced to prevent adverse effects on the Yemeni population, emphasizing that the people of Yemen should not bear the consequences of the Houthis’ actions.

“We are sending a transparent message: business shipments into Yemeni ports on which the Yemeni individuals rely for meals, medication, and gasoline ought to proceed and should not lined by our sanctions. This is along with the carveouts we embody in all sanctions packages for meals, medication, and humanitarian help,” Sullivan stated.