US forces carry out more strikes against anti-ship cruise missiles, drone in Red Sea

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U.S. forces carried out more strikes against anti-ship cruise missiles and a drone in the Red Sea Thursday evening, Central Command said.

CENTCOM forces conducted two self-defense strikes against six mobile anti-ship cruise missiles that were prepared to launch towards the Red Sea between 6 and 7:15 p.m. local time.

Earlier in the evening, CENTCOM forces shot down a drone over the southern Red Sea in self-defense, CENTCOM said.

"CENTCOM forces determined that the missiles and UAV presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and to the U.S. Navy ships in the region," the command said. "These actions will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S. Navy and merchant vessels."

The statement comes as Houthi militants, based in Yemen, continue a series of assaults on vessels in the Red Sea over Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The ongoing assaults have caused massive delays and added fees to commercial ships forced to reroute their vessels.

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In January, the U.S. and its allies began carrying out strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, though the militant group has been unrelenting in its attacks.

Earlier this week, a rocket exploded off the side of a ship