US, UK militaries strike Houthi targets in Yemen

The US and UK on Thursday launched strikes on Houthi military capabilities and assets in Yemen in response to attacks and threats by the Iran-backed rebel group against shipping in the Red Sea corridor, a move that represents an escalation and a possible widening of the West Asian war and brings the US into greater conflict with Iran.

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In a statement, President Joe Biden said that the US and UK with the support of Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands conducted "strikes against a number of targets in Yemen used by Houthi rebels to endanger freedom of navigation" and warned that the strikes were a clear message that the US and its partners will not "tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation in one of the world's most critical commercial routes".

On Friday, the group acknowledged the attack and warned of retaliation. It said at least five sites, including airfields, had been attacked and at least five rebels were killed. In a recorded address, military spokesman, Brig Gen Yahya Saree said that the strikes would "not go unanswered or unpunished".

Biden said that the strikes were a direct response to "unprecedented Houthi attacks" against international maritime vessels, including the use of antiship ballistic missiles for the first time in history. The Houthis, which took control of most of Yemen in the past decade, have been attacking ships in the Red Sea - a crucial maritime route connecting Europe, Asia and Africa which sees 15% of the world's seaborne trade - in a show of support for Hamas. It has said that it won't stop the attacks unless Israel ceases its offensive in Gaza.

"More than 50 nations have been affected in 27 attacks on international commercial shipping. Crews from more than 20 countries have been threatened or taken hostage in acts of piracy. More than 2,000 ships have been forced to divert thousands of miles to avoid the Red Sea- which can cause weeks of delays in product shipping times. And on January 9, Houthis launched their largest attack to date directly targeting American ships," Biden noted.