The U.S. Navy pounded around a dozen sites in Yemen where Houthi rebels had at least 14 missiles “loaded to be fired” with weapons prepped on firing rails ready to target shipping in the Red Sea, U.S. Central Command officials said. The missiles “presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships and could have been fired at any time,” officials said. “We will continue to take actions to protect the lives of innocent mariners and we will always protect our people,” Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, the head of Central Command, noted according to the Washington Post.