The Houthi Shiite terrorist group warned on Friday that it will pay a “heavy price” after US President Joe Biden joins Britain in authorizing airstrikes against Houthi assets in Yemen.
The Pentagon and the UK Ministry of Defense announced on Thursday that they had coordinated dozens of attacks against Houthi strategic targets, aimed at limiting the terrorists' ability to disrupt international shipping. The Houthis, who consider themselves Yemen's legitimate government, declared war on the state of Israel in October after supporting Hamas's invasion of the country on October 7, and Hamas has committed numerous atrocities, including infanticide and mass rape. committed an act. , torture, kidnapping, and desecration of corpses.Hamas killed an estimated 1,200 people, reports say keep There were another 120 hostages in Gaza as of Thursday.
As part of their “war” against Israel, the Houthis have announced they will launch attacks on allegedly Israeli-linked commercial ships near Yemen. Off the coast of Yemen lies the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, an important destination for international shipping. The Houthis are not limited to targeting Israel or ships bound for Israel, but have also attempted to seize or bomb several unrelated vessels. As a result, commercial shipping traffic in the region fell by 90 percent year-on-year between January 2023 and January 2024, and African ports were flooded with ships circumnavigating the Cape of Good Hope.
A ship transits through the Suez Canal towards the Red Sea on January 10, 2024 in Ismailia, Egypt. In the wake of Israel's war in Gaza following Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, Yemen's Houthi rebels have promised to disrupt all ships heading to Israel through the Suez Canal in the Red Sea. The disruption to global trade is evident in the number of companies using this container shipping route, which is down 90 percent compared to a year ago. (Photo by Saeed Hassan/Getty Images)
The Houthis are a Shiite terrorist organization with close ties to Iran, the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism.their officials slogan It is “Allah Akbar, death to America, death to Israel, curse to the Jews, victory to Islam.''
Fighters loyal to Yemen's Houthi rebels raise their fists and chant slogans. (Mohamed Huwais/AFP via Getty Images)
President Joe Biden's administration removed the Houthis from the State Department's list of designated foreign terrorist organizations in 2021. In September, just before the Hamas attack on Israel, Biden greenlighted a deal to unfreeze $6 billion in Iranian assets, while Iran agreed to release them. Five American hostages. The Biden administration insisted that “this is not a ransom.”
“Washington and London must accept responsibility for the deteriorating situation in the Red Sea and the militarization of its waters,” Brigadier General Abdullah bin Amer, the Houthi leader of the Moral Leadership terrorist group, said on Friday.Iranian state propaganda agency press tv. “They must be prepared to accept a heavy price and endure all the harmful consequences of this open invasion.”
Bin Amer promised that the Houthis would “target bases across the region in case the US and UK intensify their attacks.” He also claimed that the Houthis would continue their “Red Sea operations,” meaning disruption to international commercial shipping.
Brigadier General Yahya Salih, another Houthi spokesman, confirmed the airstrikes on Friday and claimed that the US and UK had carried out 73 bombings against Houthi strategic assets, but did not specify the nature of the attacks. I didn't.
“The enemies of the United States and the United Kingdom bear full responsibility for their criminal aggression against our Yemeni people and cannot go unanswered or unpunished,” Mr. Salih said. warned.
Similarly, Press TV quoted Houthi “political” leader Hussein Al-Oezzi as saying, “Washington and London must be prepared to pay a heavy price. They were subjected to a dastardly attack. Undoubtedly, the attack will cost them dearly.”
According to the Pentagon's Central Command (CENTCOM), which is in charge of the Middle East region, the airstrikes in Yemen targeted the Houthis, which are believed to have “storage and launch sites for radar systems, air defense systems, and unidirectional strike unmanned aircraft systems.” It is said that 60 sect targets were attacked. , cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles. ” CENTCOM also released some videos of the operation.
At 2:30 a.m. (Sanaa time) on January 11, U.S. Central Command, in coordination with the United Kingdom and with support from Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and Bahrain, launched an attack on the Houthis to reduce their ability to sustain attacks. Conducted joint attacks against targets. they are illegal… pic.twitter.com/bR8biMolSx
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 12, 2024
The British Ministry of Defense provided further details about the targets of the operation. “One of them was the base of Bani in northwest Yemen, which was used to launch reconnaissance and drone strikes. A number of buildings involved in drone operations were targeted by our aircraft.”
“Another location attacked by our aircraft was the airfield in Abbas,” the Ministry of Defense statement continued. “Intelligence indicates that it was used to launch both cruise missiles and drones over the Red Sea. Several high-value targets at airfields were identified and prosecuted by our aircraft.”
“Today, at my direction, U.S. forces, working with the United Kingdom and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands, conducted successful strikes against numerous targets in Yemen,” President Biden said. “Used by Houthi rebels to jeopardize freedom of navigation in one of the world's most important waterways.”
President Joe Biden on January 5, 2024 (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
“I will not hesitate to direct further measures as necessary to protect our people and the freedom of international commerce,” he added.
