A jet launches from the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Red Sea on Feb. 3, 2024. (Janae Chambers/U.S. Navy)

The U.S. has launched another round of self-defense strikes against drones and anti-ship missiles in Yemen, according to a U.S. Central Command statement Sunday.

In strikes Saturday, U.S. forces targeted two unmanned surface vessels and three mobile anti-ship cruise missiles north of Al Hudaydah, Yemen, CENTCOM said. The targets were prepared to launch against ships in the Red Sea, CENTCOM said.

CENTCOM said the USVs and missiles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen presented an imminent threat to U.S. Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region.

Saturday’s launches were the latest of a series of U.S. strikes against Houthi targets.

On Friday, U.S. forces conducted self-defense strikes against two mobile unmanned surface vessels, four mobile anti-ship cruise missiles and one mobile land attack cruise missile.

On Thursday, the U.S. conducted seven self-defense strikes against four Houthi unmanned surface vessels and seven mobile anti-ship cruise missiles.

On Wednesday, U.S. strikes targeted two mobile anti-ship cruise missiles and a mobile land-attack cruise missile,

“These actions will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S. Navy and merchant vessels,” CENTCOM said Sunday.