Bernat Armand/AP
The U.S. military said it attacked an underwater vessel manned by Yemen's Houthi rebels in the Red Sea on Saturday.
It was the first time the military had used what the military called “unmanned underwater vehicles” (UUVs) to observe Iranian-backed rebel groups since the U.S. launched a large-scale offensive in the region on Oct. 23, officials added.
Houthi rebels have been attacking international commercial shipping transiting the Red Sea in recent months. The group's leaders claim they are targeting ships linked to Israel in response to Israel's ongoing invasion of Gaza. Many of the targeted ships have no ties to Israel.
The Houthis, a powerful rebel group backed by Iran, support Hamas and have controlled large parts of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, since overthrowing the Hamas government in 2014.
Rebels have fired missiles and deployed drones against commercial shipping passing through the area, and U.S. forces have repeatedly intervened to repel attacks. Houthi attacks also targeted U.S. warships.
Last month, the United States, along with Britain and other allies, launched a series of retaliatory strikes against dozens of Houthi rebels in Yemen.
U.S. officials said at the time that more than 2,000 ships had been forced to divert shipping routes to avoid transit through the Red Sea, potentially contributing to shipping delays around the world.
The US Central Command announced that it successfully carried out five 'self-defense attacks' against an unmanned surface vehicle (UUV) and three mobile anti-ship cruise missiles between 3pm and 8pm on Saturday, Sanaa time.
The military confirmed the attack occurred in an area of Yemen controlled by Houthi rebels and said it had determined it “posed an imminent threat to U.S. Navy ships and commercial vessels in the region.”