- Targeted Houthi locations in Yemen
- Joint Anglo-American strikes conducted
- Response to vessel attacks
To defend Red Sea shipping, this is the fourth joint Anglo-American strike against the militant group.
In retaliation for an increase in Houthi attacks on vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the United States and the United Kingdom have targeted over a dozen Houthi locations in Yemen.
It is the fourth joint effort by the United Kingdom and the United States to deter vessel attacks by the group; a cargo ship was set ablaze by a missile strike this week.
Eighteen sites were targeted by American and British fighter aircraft across multiple locations, according to US officials. These targets included unmanned surface and underwater vehicles, launchers, rockets, drones, and launchers.
The United States fighter aircraft were launched from the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, which is currently situated in the Red Sea.
The strikes were ordered by US President Joe Biden, who was briefed on the targets on Friday.
Masirah TV, the primary news organisation affiliated with the Houthi movement in Yemen, which is aligned with Iran, reported on Saturday that nine airstrikes were conducted in the capital city of Sanaa by British and American forces.
RAF Strikes Target Houthi Drones
The Ministry of Defence said that four Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s and two Voyager tankers conducted British operations.
“Several very long-range drones, used by the Houthis for both reconnaissance and attack operations, were successfully identified by intelligence analysis at a former surface-to-air missile battery site several miles northeast of Sanaa,” the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.
Despite the Houthis’ use of antiquated missile battery revetments in an effort to shield the drones, our aircraft engaged them with Paveway IV precision-guided explosives.
According to the Ministry of Defence, prior RAF attacks on January 11 and February 3 destroyed “a number of structures used to support” the Houthis’ “drone and cruise missile operations.”
Following the assaults, British Defence Secretary Grant Shapps posted the following on X: “Over the past few days, the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden have been the target of intense Houthi attacks against commercial vessels, including the British-owned MV Islander and the MV Rubymar, which compelled their crews to abandon ship.
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“Our responsibility is to protect lives at sea and maintain the freedom of navigation.
“The Royal Air Force executed a fourth wave of precision strikes against Houthi military targets in Yemen for this reason.” We joined forces with our allies to further degrade the drones and launchers used by the Houthis to launch their dangerous assaults. I express my gratitude to the valiant British personnel who were engaged in their service.
Without British assistance, the United States has conducted near-daily strikes against Houthi targets, including drones and incoming missiles aimed at ships, as well as weaponry that were ready to be launched.
Escalating Houthi Attacks Challenge Shipping
Since November 19, the Houthis have initiated a minimum of 57 attacks against military and commercial vessels in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, with the rate of attack accelerating in recent times.
“We have certainly seen an increase in Houthi attacks over the past 48 to 72 hours,” Pentagon spokesman Sabrina Singh said in a Thursday briefing. Furthermore, she acknowledged that the Houthis remain undeterred.
She told reporters, “We never claimed to have eradicated all of their capabilities from the map.”
It is well-known that the Houthis possess an extensive arsenal. They have a great capacity. They continue to obtain sophisticated weapons from Iran, which enables them to possess such arsenals.
In Yemen over the past month and a half, the United States has conducted at least 32 strikes, of which a few have been accompanied by allied involvement.
Furthermore, American warships have intercepted and destroyed dozens of incoming rockets, missiles, and drones. These were aimed at commercial and other navy vessels.
Mr. Biden and other senior authorities have repeatedly warned that Houthi attacks on commercial vessels will not be tolerated.
However, the Houthi’s campaign against shipping in the region has not seemed deterred by the counterattacks. The militants claim this campaign is in retaliation for Israel’s conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
