B2 stealth bomber
A B-2 Stealth Bomber comes in for a landing at the Palmdale Aircraft Integration Centre of Excellence in Palmdale, California on July 17, 2014, as the US Air Force and manufacturer Northrop Grumman celebrated the 25th anniversary of the B-2 Stealth Bomber's first flight. The United States on October 16, 2024 conducted multiple B-2 bomber strikes on weapon storage facilities in areas of Yemen controlled by the Iran-backed Huthi rebels, according to the US military and defense department. Image Credit: AFP

Washington: The United States said it conducted strikes on Houthi targets in the rebel-held capital Sanaa on Saturday, including what it said was a missile storage center and a "command-and-control facility."

During the operation, American forces also shot down multiple Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea, the US Central Command (Centcom) said in a statement.

Get exclusive content with Gulf News WhatsApp channel

" Centcom forces conducted the deliberate strikes to disrupt and degrade Houthi operations, such as attacks against US Navy warships and merchant vessels," it said.

"The strike reflects Centcom's ongoing commitment to protect US and coalition personnel, regional partners and international shipping."

The Huthis have repeatedly targeted merchant vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden that they say are Israeli-linked, claiming solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel and Hamas have been at war since October 7, 2023.

The strikes on shipping by the Houthis, who have also launched missiles at Israel, have prompted retaliatory strikes by the United States and Britain.

The US attack on Sanaa came the same day that a Houthi missile struck Israel's commercial hub Tel Aviv, wounding 16 people in the second such strike in days.