Britain joins US in aggressive campaign of airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen

British aircraft have joined their US counterparts in strikes against Yemen's Houthi rebels, the first military action authorised by the Labour government and the first UK participation in a new, more aggressive American bombing campaign against the group.

- Dan Sabbagh

RAF Typhoons, refuelled by Voyager air tankers, targeted a cluster of buildings 15 miles south of the capital, Sana'a, on Tuesday night. A British spokesperson said the buildings were used by the Houthis to manufacture drones that had targeted shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The defence secretary, John Healey, said the attack was launched in response to "a persistent threat from the Houthis to freedom of navigation". The Iran-backed group has attacked merchant shipping and western warships, leading to a sharp drop in trade flows.

"A 55% drop in shipping through the Red Sea has already cost billions, fuelling regional instability and risking economic security for families in the UK," Healey said in a social media post shortly after midnight.

Britain had joined with the US to conduct five rounds of airstrikes against the Houthis between January and May 2024, part of the Operation Poseidon Archer campaign authorised by the Biden administration, but had not been involved in the fresh and more intense US effort until now.