WASHINGTON — Both U.S. and British forces bombed eight locations used by the British. Iran-backed Houthis Monday night marked the second time in Yemen that the two countries' allies carried out coordinated retaliatory strikes against a range of rebel missile capabilities.
The United States and Britain used Tomahawk missiles and fighter jets launched from warships and submarines to destroy Houthi missile caches and launchers, officials said.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations, said Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands contributed to the mission, including with intelligence and surveillance.
The six allies said in a joint statement that the attack specifically targeted Houthi underground storage facilities and locations associated with the group's missile and air surveillance capabilities.
“While our goal remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea, we would like to reiterate our warning to the Houthi leadership: “We will not hesitate to protect human life and the free flow of commerce,” he added. Waterways facing ongoing threats. ”
The UK Ministry of Defense confirmed that four Royal Air Force Typhoon jets attacked “multiple targets at two military facilities near Sanaa airfield” with precision-guided bombs.
Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said the attack was “aimed at reducing the capabilities of the Houthis” and “will deal a further blow to their limited stockpiles and ability to threaten global trade”. Ta.
The joint operation comes about 10 days after U.S. and British warships and fighter jets attacked more than 60 targets in 28 locations.
It was the US military's first response to persistent drone and missile attacks on civilian ships by the Houthis since the Israeli-Hamas war began in October.
The Houthi news agency said in an online statement that the target of the attack was Yemen's capital Sanaa. Jamal Hassan, a resident of southern Sanaa, also told The Associated Press that there were two airstrikes near his home, setting off car alarms on the street.
An Associated Press reporter in Sanaa also heard planes flying over Sanaa on Monday night.
Al-Masira, a satellite news channel run by the Houthis, reports multiple sites in three areas of Sanaa: al-Dailami air base just north of the capital, Salih northeast of the city center, and al-Hafah in Sanaa. It was reported that there was an air raid. South of Sanaa.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met with President Joe Biden early Monday. Sunak's office said in a statement that the two leaders agreed to take “targeted military action as necessary to degrade the capabilities of the Houthis.”
The latest barrage of coalition forces marks the eighth time the United States has carried out attacks on Houthi strongholds since January 12. It also follows near-daily attacks on Houthi missile launchers by U.S. fighter jets and carrier-based Tomahawks over the past week.
Officials said the rapid response mission, which tracks armed and ready launchers, shows the military's increasing ability to monitor, detect and attack militant activity in Yemen. ing.
The wave of chaotic attacks and retaliation involving the United States, its allies, and adversaries shows that retaliatory attacks have not deterred the Houthis from operations against Red Sea shipping, and that the United States has spent months trying to avoid widespread It suggests a regional war. It's getting closer to reality.
The Houthis have been attacking ships in the region's waterways for months, claiming they have ties to Israel or are heading to Israeli ports.
They claim their strikes are aimed at ending Israeli air and ground offensives in the Gaza Strip launched by the Palestinian militant group Hamas. October 7th attack in southern Israel. But such links to ships targeted by rebel attacks have become increasingly tenuous as the attacks continue.
The United States and its allies had been warning for weeks of retaliation, as had the White House and many partners. issued a final warning On January 3, it demanded that the Houthis cease their attacks or face possible military action.
But the threat had little noticeable effect. The Houthis continued to attack shipping in the region, at times appearing to target a wide range of commercial vessels as well as the U.S. Navy and U.S.-owned vessels.
Of the eight strike missions carried out in Yemen this month, all but two with Britain were carried out by the US military alone.
Five of the recent attacks were said to be self-defense for launching missiles that were ready for launch. Most recently, on Saturday, a Houthi anti-ship missile that was preparing to launch into the Gulf of Aden was attacked and destroyed, according to the Central Command.
The Biden administration also placed the Houthis back on the list. Specially Designated Global Terrorist. The sanctions that accompany the formal designation are aimed at separating violent extremist groups from their sources of funding, while allowing vital humanitarian aid to continue to flow to poor Yemenis.
U.S. defense officials said they believe the airstrikes have reduced the Houthis' weapons and attack capabilities.
But Biden and others acknowledge that Iranian rebels are well-equipped and likely to continue their attacks.
Meanwhile, the Houthis have made clear they have no intention of scaling back their attacks. Following the first joint US-UK attack, Hussein Al-Ezzi, a senior Houthi official at the Foreign Office, said: “The US and UK must undoubtedly pay a heavy price and be prepared to endure all the dire consequences of this blatant attack.'' It won't happen,” he said. Invasion. “
In response to continued harassment of ships, the United States and international partners are conducting a joint mission dubbed Operation Prosperity Guardian, which provides a protective umbrella for ships navigating the critical waterway that runs from the Suez Canal to the Suez Canal. They began taking extraordinary measures to protect themselves. Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Approximately 400 merchant ships sail in the southern Red Sea at any given time.
And the ongoing violence has caused companies to reroute ships and instead send them to various parts of Africa via the Cape of Good Hope, a much longer and less efficient route.
