US says air strike hits Houthi anti-ship missile before launch

US air strikes destroyed a Houthi anti-ship missile that was prepared for launch into the Gulf of Aden, the latest action against the Yemen-based militants that have targeted Red Sea commercial traffic for weeks.

US forces struck at about 4 a.m. Saturday in Yemen after determining that the missile presented a threat to merchant vessels and US Navy ships in the region, the US Central Command said in a statement.

Roughly 12% of global trade flowed through the Red Sea before the Houthis began targeting commercial ships. The attacks were a response to Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip, which followed the Oct. 7 infiltration and attack on Israel by Hamas militants.

Read more: US Is Now Pursuing ‘Least Bad’ Option in Confronting Houthis

President Joe Biden said this week that while he doesn’t expect US military action to end the Iran-backed group’s attacks, the air strikes will continue. The number of cargo ships passing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a vital trade waterway, has plunged since the Houthi attacks began.

The US and the UK are exploring ways to step up their campaign against the Houthis without provoking a broader war, with a focus on pre-emptive strikes and targeting resupply shipments from Iran, according to people familiar with the discussions.