U.S., U.K. continue airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen

01/16/2024 / By Richard Brown

The U.S. and the U.K. are continuing with air strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, controlled by the Houthi rebels, as a response to the Iran-backed group’s attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.

The Biden administration, in collaboration with its allies, issued a warning that the Houthi group would face consequences for its actions. President Joe Biden reportedly authorized the strikes to protect international maritime vessels navigating through the crucial waterway. (Related: U.S. warship in the Red Sea shoots down attack drones fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.)

The operation involved a comprehensive effort, with fighter jets, Tomahawk missiles and the engagement of various naval assets, including the USS Florida guided missile submarine, USS Philippine Sea guided missile cruiser and destroyers USS Gravely and USS Mason.

The U.S. and its allies targeted Houthi assets, including command and control nodes, munitions depots, launching systems, production facilities and air defense radar systems. The Houthi rebels, who have been conducting drone and missile attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea for weeks, continued their activities despite warnings from the international community.

The attacks disrupted global shipping routes, leading to concerns about the security of one of the world’s most critical waterways. The decision to conduct direct strikes against the Houthi rebels marked a departure from the U.S.’s previous cautious approach in Yemen, considering the risk of escalation in an already volatile region.

The Houthi attacks on international shipping and their refusal to cease these actions prompted the Biden administration to take decisive military action. The strikes received support from the U.K., Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands, emphasizing the international concern over the threat to maritime navigation in the Red Sea.

The coordinated effort aimed not only to deter further Houthi attacks but also to restore stability and safeguard the free flow of international commerce in the strategically vital region.

Houthis remain defiant

The Houthi rebel movement, supported by Iran, defiantly declared its intent to persist in attacking ships in the Red Sea shortly after the U.S. and the U.K. carried out strikes against the group in Yemen.

In retaliation, a Houthi military spokesperson reported 73 attacks resulting in at least five deaths and six injuries. The Houthi movement’s Supreme Political Council issued a statement reaffirming its commitment to target ships in strategic waterways, asserting that all American-British interests were legitimate targets. They claimed the attacks aimed to prevent the transit of Israeli ships or those carrying goods to occupied Palestinian ports, vowing to persist regardless of the cost.

The Houthis issued a warning to “all Arab regimes, especially neighboring countries,” cautioning against supporting the strikes of the U.S. and its allies.

Houthi Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, in a videotaped address, held the “American and British enemy” responsible for the aggression against Yemen, asserting that the Yemeni armed forces would retaliate to defend Yemen’s sovereignty and independence.

“American and British enemy bears full responsibility for its criminal aggression against our Yemeni people. This aggression will not go unanswered. The Yemeni armed forces will not hesitate to target sources of threat and all hostile targets – on land and at sea – in defense of Yemen, its sovereignty and independence,” he said.

While details of the strikes were not disclosed, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who monitored the operation in real time from the hospital due to surgery-related complications, stated that the strikes targeted various Houthi capabilities, including unmanned aerial vehicles, uncrewed surface vessels, land-attack cruise missiles, and coastal radar and air surveillance systems.

The Houthis recently executed one of the most extensive attacks in the Red Sea. U.S. F-18s, alongside three U.S. destroyers and a British warship, successfully intercepted and neutralized 18 drones and multiple missiles that were launched from areas in Yemen under Houthi control, as reported by U.S. Central Command.

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Watch this video about Houthi rebels attacking Israel with missiles.

This video is from the High Hopes channel on Brighteon.com.