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A coalition of countries led by the United States during the night between Thursday and Friday bombed several military sites used by the Houthi rebels in Yemen, in response to attacks that the same rebels had carried out in recent weeks against cargo ships transiting the Red Sea. US President Joe Biden he said that the bombings were coordinated with the United Kingdom (which directly participated in the attack), Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and Bahrain. On Friday morning, Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the Italian government refused to participate in the attack, despite having been informed about it by the United States, “because we cannot carry out war actions without a debate in parliament.” .
At the moment the bombings do not appear to be the beginning of a prolonged military campaign on Yemen but a single attack, which aims to damage the Houthis’ military infrastructure. A spokesperson for them said in the morning that five Houthi warriors died and six people were injured in the bombing, and added that the US coalition attack will not go “without punishment or response”.
The decision to start the bombing was made a week after the United States and some of its allies gave the Houthis an ultimatum saying there would be consequences if the group did not stop attacks on cargo ships. The group, which is a close ally of Iran, had begun attacking commercial ships since November in retaliation for Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip. The attacks have forced several companies to suspend the transit of their goods through the Red Sea, diverting ships that must move between the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean and making them circumnavigate Africa, a longer route of several thousand kilometers and which requires up to two weeks more travel.
The consequences so far have been very significant and have caused an increase in the prices of many goods.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said the bombing hit military targets such as radars, missile and drone launch sites and weapons storage areas, without specifying where in Yemen. The intent, Austin said, is to “destroy and damage the capabilities” of the Houthis to launch missiles.
In a communicated more specific Alex Grynkewich, the US Air Force commander who oversees operations in the Middle East, said the coalition struck more than 60 targets in 16 different locations in Yemen, using more than 100 missiles. The bombing was done by military aircraft, warships and submarines.
Abdul Qader al-Mortadam, one of the Houthis’ political leaders, said the shelling hit several Yemeni cities, including the capital Sana’a, Hodeidah, Saada and Dhamar. The Yemeni TV channel Almasirahlinked to the Houthis, said an air base, airports and a military camp were hit in the attacks, but the precise extent of the damage suffered was not known.
A US-led coalition warship launching a missile (CENTCOM/X)
US President Joe Biden said the bombings against Houthi rebel military sites were a “direct response” to attacks carried out against merchant ships in the Red Sea.
«Today’s defensive action follows extensive diplomacy, and an escalation of attacks by Houthi rebels against commercial shipping. These targeted attacks [quelli contro gli Houthi, ndr] they are a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to endanger freedom of navigation in one of the world‘s most critical trade routes,” Biden said. “I will not hesitate to indicate further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international trade if necessary.”
After the bombings carried out by the United States and their allies, the Houthis responded through a message published on
The Houthis are an Iranian-backed Shiite armed group that dominates about half of Yemen. In recent months the Houthis have seen an opportunity in the ongoing war in Gaza: they claim to attack commercial ships in the Red Sea in retaliation for the Israeli invasion of Gaza and for the war against Hamas, a Sunni group also supported by Iran.
Until now, the Biden administration had been reluctant to attack the rebels, despite the major consequences the attacks on cargo ships were having on global trade. There are fears that the bombing against the Houthis could spread the ongoing conflict in Gaza to other areas of the Middle East and thus open new war fronts with groups allied with Iran in the region, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and Shiite militias in Iraq .
After the attack, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson condemned the US coalition attack, telling state media: «These arbitrary attacks will have no other result than to cause instability and undermine security in the region. We ask the international community to react responsibly to these attacks.”
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