US and UK Launch Air Strikes Against Houthi Rebel Targets in Yemen
US President Joe Biden has confirmed that US and British forces, along with support from other countries, have launched air strikes against Houthi rebel targets in Yemen. The operation was in response to attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels on ships in the Red Sea since November.
President Biden said in a statement, “Today, at my direction, U.S. forces, along with the United Kingdom and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands, successfully countered the Houthi rebels’ use of the most important weapon in the world. One of the waterways jeopardizes some of the objectives of freedom of navigation.”
Houthi officials confirmed the attack and warned the United States and Britain would “pay a heavy price” for such an act of “blatant aggression.” The US military used Tomahawk cruise missiles and fighter jets to strike more than a dozen locations, including the capital Sanaa and the Houthi armed stronghold of Hudaydah on the Red Sea port.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated that Royal Air Force (RAF) fighter jets assisted in “targeted strikes” against military installations, calling the airstrike a “limited, necessary, and appropriate self-defense action.”
The governments of Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States issued a joint statement citing a United Nations Security Council resolution from last month, which called on the Houthis to stop attacking ships in the Red Sea.
Yemen’s civil war in 2014 resulted in the Houthis controlling large areas of western Yemen, including the capital Sanaa and the Red Sea coast. The recent attacks on ships have disrupted the passage of gas, oil, and cargo, leading some shipping companies to reroute vessels around South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope.
As the situation escalates, the US and its allies face tough choices in the Red Sea standoff. The Iran-backed Houthis have launched a massive attack on Red Sea shipping, demonstrating their control of the coastline and their powerful arsenal of missiles and drones.
The Houthis have carried out successful attacks on ships, causing concern over the effectiveness and cost of protecting Western warships. However, the US-led multinational warship fleet has issued detailed strike plans to destroy a series of military targets of the Houthi armed forces in coastal areas to prevent further attacks.
Although most countries in the world have expressed opposition to the Houthis’ attacks on ships, the situation is complicated due to regional dynamics and the support the Houthis receive from Iran.
The US, Western countries, and their allies involved in the multinational operation prefer a peaceful resolution to the conflict, but there are no signs of the Houthis retreating. Limited military action against Houthi facilities may be imminent unless they can be persuaded to cease their attacks on Red Sea shipping.