aIn response to Houthi rebel attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea, the United States and Great Britain carried out air strikes against the militia. US President Joe Biden confirmed the attacks and spoke of “successful bombings.” It is „a direct response to the Houthis' unprecedented attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea.”
There was support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands. Biden threatened the Houthi rebels with more attacks: “I will not hesitate to order further action if necessary to protect our people and the free flow of international trade,” the US president said.
The United States and its allies decided to take this step only after attempts at diplomatic negotiations and careful consideration. He added: „These attacks endangered American personnel, civilian sailors, and our partners, disrupted commerce, and threatened freedom of navigation.” More than 2,000 ships had to travel thousands of miles.
This is the first time the Iranian-backed group has been attacked since it began attacking international ships in the Red Sea late last year. The Houthis consider themselves part of their self-proclaimed “axis of resistance” directed against Israel. In addition to Hamas, this also includes the Shiite militia Hezbollah in Lebanon.
According to the US Department of Defense, the attacks in Yemen took place from the air and sea and targeted only the military sites of the Houthi militia. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a statement that the attacks targeted drones, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, coastal radars, and air surveillance systems of the Houthi rebels. Tomahawk fighter planes and cruise missiles were used.
As several eyewitnesses told Reuters news agency, a military base next to the airport in the capital, Sanaa, and a site near Taiz airport were targeted. It was also said that a Houthi naval base in Hodeidah and military sites in Hajjah Governorate were targeted in the attacks.
A US government source familiar with the matter said that the attacks were launched using aircraft, ships and submarines and targeted more than ten sites. According to insiders, the United States does not want to allow the situation to escalate after the attacks.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also confirmed that the RAF, along with the United States, had launched targeted attacks on Houthi rebel military facilities in Yemen. The Prime Minister's statement said, „The exact results of the attacks in Yemen are still being evaluated, but initial indicators indicate that the Houthis' ability to threaten commercial shipping has suffered a setback.” According to the government, Britain used four Eurofighter Typhoon fighter planes to carry out attacks on two military facilities belonging to the Houthi rebels.
The Houthi leader said on Thursday that any US attack on the group would not go unanswered. According to the US military, Houthi rebels fired an anti-ship ballistic missile at international shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden on Thursday, the group's 27th attack since November 19.
British Prime Minister Sunak gave the green light
According to media reports, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had previously called on his government to hold telephone consultations at short notice. It may have been about upcoming joint military strikes with the United States against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, as Sky News reported and „guardian” reported. Sunak is said to have given the green light for such a military operation alongside the United States.
Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement: “In response to ongoing unlawful, dangerous and destabilizing Houthi attacks on ships, including commercial vessels, the crossing has been closed.” The Red Sea forces, the United States and the United Kingdom, with support from the Netherlands, Canada, Bahrain and Australia, carried out joint attacks on a number of targets in areas controlled by the Houthis in Yemen, in accordance with the United Nations Charter, which is based on the right to individual and collective self-defense.
The Houthi rebels announced retaliation for the military strike launched by the United States, Great Britain and other allies in Yemen. “America and Britain will have to be prepared to pay a heavy price,” a representative of the Iranian-backed Yemeni rebels said on Friday evening, according to the Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV channel. The rebels also announced more attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that it is monitoring the air strikes in Yemen with great concern and calls for avoiding escalation in light of the events in the region. This refers to the fighting in the Gaza Strip, linked to attacks by Houthi rebels on commercial ships, as the militia declared its solidarity with the extremist Islamist movement Hamas.
Iran condemned the attacks that targeted sites of the Shiite Houthi militia in Yemen. The Iranian Foreign Ministry said: “We see this as a clear violation of Yemen’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as a violation of international laws, regulations and rights.” With the Sunnis, who are the largest branch of the Yemeni Islam movement and an important ally of the Houthis.
The Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon also criticized the attacks. The Hezbollah militia said, “The American aggression confirms once again that the United States is a full partner in the tragedies and massacres carried out by the Zionist enemy in the Gaza Strip and the region.”
Recently, there have been increasing signs of counterattacks by the United States and its allies. British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps has also repeatedly warned in recent days of the consequences if the attacks do not stop. Director of Communications at the US National Security Council, John Kirby, warned the Houthis on Thursday that they would face consequences if they did not stop their attacks.
The Houthi militia wants to continue the attacks
Despite the air strikes, the rebels want to continue targeting ships linked to Israel. Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdel Salam said on Friday that the target was and still is Israeli ships or those heading to the ports of occupied Palestine. He added, „There is no justification for this aggression against Yemen, as there is no threat to international navigation in the Red Sea.”
