Sanaa, Sep 11 : The US Central Command said on Wednesday that its naval forces destroyed five Houthi drones and two missile systems in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen in the past 24 hours.

"It was determined these (equipment and) systems presented a clear and imminent threat to US and coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region," it said on social media platform X, without disclosing the name of the areas targeted.

The Houthi group, which has controlled much of Yemen since late 2014 after the outbreak of a civil war with the Yemeni government, has not yet made any comment, Xinhua news agency reported.

Since November last year, the Houthi group has been launching missile and drone attacks targeting what it called "Israeli-linked" ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to show solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

In response, the US-British naval coalition stationed in the area has since January conducted regular air raids and missile strikes against Houthi targets to deter the group.

/IANS