US destroys Houthi missile in third straight day of strikes, while terror group warns of retaliation

The US targeted Iran-backed terrorists for the third day in a row Sunday, destroying a Houthi missile it said posed an “imminent threat” to Navy ships in the Red Sea — as the extremist group vowed revenge.

“Forces conducted a strike in self-defense against a Houthi anti-ship cruise missile prepared to launch against ships in the Red Sea,” US Central Command announced in an early morning tweet.

The 4 a.m. strike was launched after US forces determined the missile, located in a Houthi-controlled part of Yemen, threatened the safety of nearby Navy and trade ships, according to Central Command.

“This action will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S. Navy vessels and merchant vessels,” the statement said.

Shortly after the strike, a Houthi spokesman doubled-down on his terror group’s claims that its monthslong campaign attacking and hijacking trade ships in the Red Sea was being carried out exclusively to aid humanitarian efforts and Gaza, and vowed retaliation.

“These attacks will not deter us from our moral, religious and humanitarian stance in support of the steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, and will not pass without response and punishment,” the rep said in a tweet.

Sunday morning’s US strike followed a fiery 48 hours between the Houthis and American forces in the region.

On Saturday, at least 30 Houthi targets were hit by US and UK forces across 10 different locations in Yemen, including weapons storage facilities and command centers where the terrorists have been coordinating their Red Sea havoc.

A day earlier, US forces took out 11 armed Houthi drones which had either been launched or were being prepared for launch.

The strikes coincided with an extensive US assault on other Iran-linked groups in Iraq and Syria.

Overnight airstrikes Friday killed at least 39 people and injured dozens across 85 targets linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard in what wasin response to a drone strike from the extremist groups that claimed the lives of three US service members at a base in Jordan last weekend.

Tehran called the strikes “violations of the sovereignty and territorial integrity,” while US Defense Secretary said they were merely the beginning of America’s response to the Jordan attack.

“This is the start of our response,” said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

“The president has directed additional actions to hold the IRGC and affiliated militias accountable for their attacks on U.S. and Coalition Forces,” he said in a statement. “We will take all necessary actions to defend the United States, our forces, and our interests.”