Moment USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and other warships launch missiles and planes to bomb Iranian-backed Houthi targets in Yemen

Dramatic footage shows the moment the US launched fighter jets and missiles from its ships Iranian-backed Houthi targets.

The USS Gravely, USS Carney and the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower were among the warships that launched missiles at Houthi forces on Sunday. The attacks are in response to attacks on civilian and military vessels in vital shipping waters of the Red Sea by Houthi forces.

US Central Command uploaded a video of the launches to X (formerly known as Twitter) showing the moments when the ships’ deadly missiles are unleashed.

The attacks came after US military crews destroyed a Houthi cruise missile on Saturday.

U.S. Central Command said the “self-defense attack” was carried out around 4 a.m. local time (8 p.m. EST) before the ordinance was launched.

The USS Gravely, USS Carney and the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower were among the US warships that launched missiles at Houthi forces on Sunday

US Central Command uploaded a video of the launches to X (formerly known as Twitter), showing the dramatic moments as the ships’ missiles are released

The attacks came after US military crews destroyed a Houthi cruise missile on Saturday

“U.S. forces identified the cruise missile in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined that it posed an immediate threat to U.S. Navy and merchant vessels in the region,” the report said.

“This action will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters increasingly safer for U.S. Navy and merchant vessels.”

On January 11, the US and Britain launched attacks on the Houthi in Yemen. The US military used more than 100 precision missiles to hit 60 targets in 16 locations.

Super Hornets, Navy destroyers and a submarine launched Tomahawk cruise missiles during the blitz.

Locations including command and control nodes, ammunition depots, launch systems, production facilities and air defense radar systems were hit, officials said.

At least one submarine was deployed. The US will not confirm exactly which one, but the Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Florida (SSGN-728) entered the Red Sea in November, USNI News reports. The ship has a capacity for 154 missiles.

Super Hornets from USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) were deployed, along with Air Force fighters from a base in the Middle East.

“These targeted attacks send a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to jeopardize freedom of navigation on one of the world’s most critical commercial routes,” President Joe Biden said after the attacks.

“I will not hesitate to take further action if necessary to protect our people and the free flow of international trade.”

On Saturday, Britain said it had joined forces with the US to fight Houthi forces in Yemen as at least 36 targets were fired on in the third wave of attacks to “protect innocent lives”.

Britain carried out a new wave of “proportionate and targeted attacks” against Iran-linked Houthi militants.

The strikes are intended to further eliminate Iranian-backed groups that have ruthlessly attacked U.S. and international interests with drones and missiles in the wake of the war between Israel and Hamas.

British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps insisted the bombings are “not an escalation” of the Red Sea crisis, claiming the latest attacks will have further damaged the Houthis’ capabilities.

“The Houthis’ attacks on commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea are illegal and unacceptable and it is our duty to protect innocent lives and preserve freedom of navigation,” he said.

“That is why the Royal Air Force launched a third wave of proportionate and targeted strikes against Houthi military targets in Yemen.

Houthi fighters are pictured riding in vehicles during a rally in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and the recent Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden on February 4

Houthi fighters are pictured walking to attend a rally in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and the recent Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden on February 4

Yemeni Houthi fighter is pictured manning a vehicle-mounted heavy machine gun during a rally in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip

“We acted together with our U.S. allies, with the support of many international partners, in self-defense and in accordance with international law.”

Saturday’s attacks on the Houthis were launched by American warships and American and British fighter jets.

The strikes followed an airstrike in Iraq and Syria on Friday that targeted other Iranian-backed militias and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards in retaliation for the drone strike that killed three US troops in Jordan last weekend.