WASHINGTON — Two American airstrikes in Yemen last month killed seven al-Qaida fighters, a Pentagon spokesman said Tuesday.

The airstrikes were part of the U.S. military’s ongoing mission to “degrade, disrupt and destroy” the terrorist network, whose branch in Yemen, al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, “remains a significant threat to the region and the United States,” said Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman.

“Al-Qaida’s presence has a destabilizing effect on Yemen,” he said. “It is using the unrest in Yemen to provide a haven from which to plan future attacks against the U.S. and its interests.”

A civil war has raged in Yemen for more than a year, where Iran-back Houthi rebels are battling a Saudi-led coalition that supports the U.N.-recognized government.

The American airstrikes occurred July 8 and July 16. The first airstrike killed one militant and the second killed six and injured another.

The United States has conducted more than 10 airstrikes in Yemen this year and killed at least 115 al-Qaida operatives, according to U.S. Central Command data.

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