The US and UK militaries executed strikes against several Houthi targets in areas under Houthi control in Yemen on Thursday. This action represents a substantial response following warnings from the Biden administration and its allies that the Iran-backed militant group would face consequences for its repeated drone and missile attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
US President Joe Biden said he ordered the strikes “in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea.”
“Today, at my direction, U.S. military forces in collaboration with the United Kingdom and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands successfully conducted strikes against a number of targets in Yemen used by Houthi rebels to endanger freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most vital waterways,” the president stated in a release from the White House.
Biden emphasized that he is prepared to take additional measures to safeguard both the American people and international commerce. US and UK militaries
In response to the escalating threat in one of the world’s crucial waterways, US and coalition forces executed strikes on 16 Iranian-backed Houthi militant locations, targeting command and control nodes, munitions depots, launching systems, production facilities, and air defense radar systems. This action comes after weeks of attempting to avoid direct strikes in Yemen due to concerns about regional escalation amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The decision to intervene was prompted by persistent Houthi attacks on international shipping. While the US has previously targeted Iranian proxies in Iraq and Syria during the Gaza conflict, this marks the first known strike against the Houthis in Yemen.