Missile strikes in Yemen

Yemen's Houthi rebels fired two missiles at a Greek-owned ship bound for a port in Iran on Monday, causing minor damage but no injuries to its crew, authorities said.

The United States military confirmed Thursday its forces conducted multiple strikes against Huthi missile systems as the Yemen-based rebel group prepared to launch attacks that threatened U.S. Navy and merchant ships.

Germany sent a powerful air s frigate on Thursday to join a European Union naval mission in the Red Sea that will be launched in mid-February to protect merchant ships from attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militia.

The leader of Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis has said that the group will further escalate if the Israeli attack on Gaza does not stop.

The Houthis, who control Yemen's capital and most populous areas, have attacked international shipping in the Red Sea since November in what they say is solidarity with Palestinians, drawing US and British retaliatory strikes since last month.

The U.S. military said Monday it had struck explosive uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) operated by Huthi rebels in Yemen, days after a wave of joint strikes with Britain aimed at stopping continued attacks on international shipping.

American forces carried out air strikes against five missiles in Yemen on Sunday — one designed for land attack and the others for targeting ships, the U.S. military said.

The United States and Great Britain have executed joint strikes against 36 targets near the Red Sea, where anti-ship missiles were reportedly being prepared. The military action, confirmed by American and British military sources and reported by Reuters, aimed to neutralize the perceived threat posed by Houthi rebels in Yemen who controlled the targeted areas.

The joint air raids in Yemen come a day after a separate wave of unilateral American strikes against Iran-linked targets in Iraq and Syria that were carried out in response to the killing of three U.S. soldiers in Jordan on Jan. 28.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) previously declared that the strikes were conducted in legitimate defense against six Houthi anti-ship cruise missiles

The European Union plans to launch a naval mission in the Red Sea within three weeks to help defend cargo ships against attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen that are hampering trade and driving up prices , the bloc's top diplomat said Wednesday.