The United States military on Tuesday (Feb 6) said that they launched a strike against two Houthi drones in Yemen in self-defence after a drone attack hit a base, which was housing the US troops in Syria.
Taking to X, US Central Command said, “US forces identified the explosive USVs in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined they presented an imminent threat to US navy ships and merchant vessels in the region.”
“These actions will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer,” it added.
CENTCOM Self-Defense Strikes
On Feb. 5, at approximately 3:30 p.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. Central Command forces conducted a strike in self-defense against two Houthi explosive uncrewed surface vehicles (USV).
U.S. forces identified the explosive USVs in Houthi-controlled areas of… pic.twitter.com/WMntzJOnw6
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) February 6, 2024
Six Kurdish fighters were earlier killed in a drone attack stuck at the training ground at al-Omar base in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour, Syria, said the US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
The group accused “Syrian regime-backed mercenaries” of launching the attack. Among the US troops, no casualties were reported.
This came as the United States carried out fresh strikes against a Houthi land attack cruise missile in Yemen on February 4, as per the US Central Command.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a meeting with Saudi Arabia‘s crown prince in his fifth visit to the region since the October 7 attacks.
US admits not giving any notice of strikes to Iraq
The United States accepted that it did not notify the Iraqi government before carrying out air strikes in the country.
State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel on Monday accepted that the Iraqi officials were informed only after the strikes were carried out on Iranian-linked targets.
“Iraq, like every country in the region, understood that there would be a response after the deaths of our soldiers. As for this specific response on Friday, there was not a pre-notification,” said Patel, while speaking to the reporters.
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“We informed the Iraqis immediately after the strikes occurred,” he said,
The clarification was given after White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby on Friday (Feb 2) stated that Washington had informed the Iraqi government regarding the strike in advance.
On Monday, Kirby said that he had responded to questions from the reporters with the “information that I had been provided at the time”.
“It was not as specific as it could have been, and I regret any confusion caused,” Kirby said.
“That said, we had made no secret – both to Iraqi officials and in public channels – that we would respond to the attacks on our troops. And, we did, in fact, officially notify Iraq, as appropriate with standard procedure,” he added.
(With inputs from agencies)
