The United States and Britain on Monday struck more Houthi targets in Yemen with an eighth round, days after President Joe Biden acknowledged that airstrikes were ineffective in deterring attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
Asked on January 18 whether airstrikes in Yemen are working, Biden said: “Well, when you say 'it's working,' are you deterring the Houthis?” Ta. No. Do you want to continue? Yes. “
But defense officials insisted on Monday that while the Houthis still had capabilities, airstrikes against them “removed key capabilities of the Houthis.”
“We believe that previous attacks, tonight's attack, the Jan. 11 attack with the same coalition partners, and numerous self-defense attacks against imminent threats in the intervening period, have shown that the Houthis have significant capabilities. I am confident that it has been removed.” a senior military official said in a briefing to reporters.
The infographic shows where American and British forces, with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands, have attacked eight Houthi targets in Yemen. (Yasin Demirci/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“That doesn't mean they don't have the capacity anymore, but we definitely believe it's having an impact,” the official added.
Officials said the latest attacks by the United States and Britain were launched from air, surface and underground platforms, targeting eight sites containing Houthi missiles, drones and weapons caches.
The attack was carried out by U.S. Navy and British military Tomahawk land attack missiles (TLAMs) and manned aircraft, and used an estimated 25 to 30 rounds of ammunition, military officials said.
Military officials said it was the first time an underground weapons warehouse had been attacked.
Officials could not say exactly how many targets were actually hit. They said the number of casualties was “unknown” but stressed they were working to minimize collateral damage and target systems rather than people.
“Precision-guided munitions were used to destroy the target and minimize collateral damage,” military officials said.
This handout image provided by the UK Ministry of Defense shows a RAF Typhoon returning to RAF Akrotiri after conducting an airstrike against Houthi military targets in Yemen in Akrotiri, Cyprus, on 23 January 2024. ing. (MoD Crown copyright from Getty Images)
U.S. Central Command, working with British forces and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands, strikes eight Iranian-backed Houthi targets in Yemen's Houthi region on January 23, 2024. do. (CENTCOM/Handout/Anadolu, via Getty Images)
Despite the continued attacks, military officials said their intention was to “de-escalate tensions and restore calm to the Red Sea.”
Military officials stressed that the attack was unrelated to the coalition to protect commercial shipping transiting the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab and Gulf of Aden.
A senior defense official claimed that the attack was “based on Article 51 of the United Nations Charter” and “reflects our inherent right of self-defense.”
Officials said the strike was carried out with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands. Both countries, along with the United States and the United Kingdom, said in a statement:
Since mid-November, the Houthis have now carried out more than 30 attacks on ocean-going and commercial ships, posing an international challenge. Recognizing the broad consensus of the international community, we once again join forces with a coalition of like-minded countries to uphold the rules-based order, protect freedom of navigation and international commerce, and hold the Houthis accountable for their illegal and unjustified attacks. acted as a member of About seafarers and commercial shipping.
While our goal remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability to the Red Sea, we reiterate our warning to the Houthi leadership. We will not hesitate to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in one of the world's most important waterways in the face of it. Continuing threat.
In November, the Houthis launched attacks on U.S. and international commercial ships in the Red Sea in solidarity with the Palestinians, following terrorist attacks by the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas against Israel.
The unprecedented terrorist invasion resulted in more than 1,200 casualties. Israel immediately responded by launching a ground attack.
RELATED: Biden co-chairs – 'no surprise' we haven't stopped the Houthis yet
The United States has sharply increased military assets to the region to prevent the Israeli-Hamas conflict from spreading to other countries, but since Hamas's first attack, Iranian-backed proxies have increased the number of U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria. We are strengthening our attacks on The Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea and surrounding areas.
US military operations against proxy forces and the Houthis have so far not prevented continued attacks, and the Houthis have vowed to continue their attacks.
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