The US and UK have launched air raids on dozens of sites in Yemen in response to Houthi rebels’ repeated attacks on shipping, disrupting global trade and posing a threat to lives.
The strikes, which targeted 36 Houthi targets across 13 locations in Yemen, came a day after the US launched strikes against Iran-linked targets in Iraq and Syria following the assassination of three American soldiers in Jordan.
The operation aims to protect international and commercial shipping and naval vessels transiting the Red Sea.
“These precision strikes are intended to disrupt and degrade the capabilities that the Houthis use to threaten global trade, and the lives of innocent mariners”, the US, UK, and other countries that supported the operation have stated in a statement.
“The assault targeted sites associated with the Huthis’ deeply buried weapons storage facilities, missile systems and launchers, air defense systems, and radars”, the statement reads.
US forces have struck six Huthi anti-ship missiles and shot down eight drones near Yemen the day before, according to Central Command.
The Houthis began targeting Red Sea cargo in November, claiming they were attacking Israel-linked vessels in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
The drones that hit the ground belong to the Houthis, but no country or group associated with the drones was named.
The US and British military have launched strikes against the Houthis, who have declared US and British interests as targets.
The US has also established a multinational naval task force to protect commerce on the transit channel, which accounts for up to 12% of world trade.
Anger over Israel’s destructive campaign in Gaza, which began with an unprecedented Hamas offensive on October 7, has spread throughout the Middle East, fueled by Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.
Last weekend, a drone slammed into a Jordanian facility, killing three US soldiers and injuring more than 40 others in an attack Washington blamed on Iran-backed militants.
The US reacted Friday with strikes on dozens of targets at seven Tehran-linked installations in Iraq and Syria but did not enter Iranian territory.
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