U.S. defense officials said Monday that U.S. and British warships and warplanes conducted multiple attacks on Houthi-held areas in Yemen.
Large explosions occurred as a result of airstrikes in multiple locations in Yemen.
A U.S. official told Fox News that among the Houthi targets hit by U.S. and British munitions was Al Dailami Air Base, as well as a missile launch site and a weapons storage facility for ballistic missiles and drones. He said it was included.
This is the second joint US-UK air and sea attack since January 11th.
Centcom confirms airstrike on Houthi anti-ship missiles near Red Sea
On January 22, 2023, F-18 fighter jets from the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower participated in an airstrike against Houthi forces in Yemen. (Centcom/X)
The attack consisted of Tomahawk missiles fired from U.S. warships and F-18 fighter jets from the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.
“Today, U.S. and British forces, with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands, launched proportional and necessary operations against eight Houthi targets in Yemen at the direction of their respective governments. “We have carried out additional attacks in response to the Houthis' continued attacks on international shipping, commercial vessels, and naval vessels navigating the Red Sea,” a joint statement from the US, UK and other countries said.
The statement cited a series of illegal, dangerous and destabilizing Houthi actions, including anti-ship ballistic missile and unmanned aerial system attacks on two U.S.-owned commercial ships earlier this month.
US Navy confirms Iranian involvement in Yemeni Houthi rebel ship attack
On Friday, January 19, supporters of the Houthi movement rallied in Sanaa, Yemen, to denounce the United States' designation of the group as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” group. (Reuters/Khaled Abdullah)
Monday's “precision strikes” were aimed at “disrupting and degrading” the Houthis' efforts to threaten global trade and the lives of seafarers.
“Today's attack specifically targeted Houthi underground storage and locations associated with Houthi missile and air surveillance capabilities,” the statement said. “Since mid-November, the Houthis have now launched more than 30 attacks on ocean-going and commercial ships, posing an international challenge.
“While our goal remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability to the Red Sea, we would like to reiterate our warning to the Houthi leadership: “We will not hesitate to protect the free flow of commerce in the face of continuing threats,” the joint statement continued.
Defense officials provided further information about the attack Monday night, saying the mission was successful in eliminating “significant” Houthi capabilities.
US attacks Houthi missile storage in Yemen, officials confirm
This image provided by the UK Ministry of Defence, taken on Thursday, January 11, 2024, shows a Royal Air Force Typhoon aircraft taking off from Royal Air Force Akrotiri, Cyprus, on a mission to attack targets in Yemen. U.S. and British forces late Thursday launched a large-scale retaliatory attack using Tomahawk missiles and fighter jets launched from warships and submarines, including more than a dozen weapons used by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, U.S. officials said. The base was bombed. (British Ministry of Defence, Sergeant Lee Goddard, via AP)
“We can say that we observed good impact and impact at all eight locations. We assess that we did indeed destroy missiles, unmanned aircraft systems, and weapons caches.”
The guided missile destroyers USS Mason, USS Philippine Sea, and USS Gravely supported the Tomahawk ground-attack missiles, along with USS Eisenhower's F-18 Super Hornet.
Britain also provided fighter aircraft during the mission.
Pentagon officials estimate that 25 to 30 rounds of ammunition were dropped on Houthi targets, but the assessment is ongoing.
The number of Houthi casualties is unknown, but U.S. military officials say the targets “were not intentionally chosen to inflict casualties. They were targeting weapons systems.” is expected to be small.
The Pentagon also said this is the first time the United States has attacked an underground storage facility in Yemen.
A senior military official said, “It has been assessed that certain weapons storage facilities contain more advanced conventional weapons than those used in the first strike on the 11th,” adding that the facilities are used to store missiles and unmanned systems. he added.
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Still, the official stressed that the United States has no intention of escalating the conflict in the Middle East and is selective about its targets.
“We are specifically avoiding escalation by selecting these locations and individual targets that remove capabilities that could be used for maritime attacks,” the official said. “At this point, we are not considering further expansion.”
Since October 17, there have been at least 151 attacks on US forces in the region.
