The United States and Britain have started carrying out strikes against targets linked to Houthis in Yemen, the first time strikes have been launched against the Iran-backed group since it started targeting international shipping in the Red Sea.
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Thursday that the United States and Britain, with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands, had conducted strikes in Yemen at sites used by Houthi rebels.
"These strikes are in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea” including the use of anti-ship ballistic missiles for the first time in history," Biden said in a statement released by the White House.
"These attacks have endangered U.S. personnel, civilian mariners, and our partners, jeopardized trade, and threatened freedom of navigation." Biden said he would "not hesitate" to direct further measures to protect people and the free flow of commerce. says strikes in Yemen show US, allies 'will not tolerate' Houthi attacks on shipping.
Houthis: "The war is open"
The U.S. and British militaries were bombing more than a dozen sites used by the Iranian-backed Houthis, in a massive retaliatory strike using warship-launched Tomahawk missiles and fighter jets, several U.S. officials told The Associated Press. The military targets included logistical hubs, air defense systems and weapons storage locations, they said.
Some explosions were heard early Friday in Yemen's Sanaa, Hudaydah, Saada, and Damar. Houthis official Abdul Qader al-Mortada says raids conducted on several Yemeni cities: "American-Zionist-British aggression against Yemen launches several raids on the capital, Sanaa, Hodeidah governorate, Saada, and Dhamar."
(Strikes against Houthis in Yemen tonight)
A senior official in the political bureau of the Houthi rebels in Yemen commented on attacks: "The battle will exceed the imagination and expectations of the United States and Britain. The war is open. Americans and the British will regret their aggression and will pay a heavy price."
The Houthis, who control most of Yemen, have been targeting Red Sea shipping routes to show their support for Hamas terror organization. The attacks have disrupted international commerce on the key route between Europe and Asia that accounts for about 15% of the world's shipping traffic.
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These are believed to be the first strikes the United States has carried out against the Houthis in Yemen since 2016. Earlier on Thursday, the Houthi's leader said any U.S. attack on the group would not go without a response. The Houthis, who seized much of Yemen in a civil war, have vowed to attack ships linked to Israel or bound for Israeli ports. However, many of the targeted ships have had no links to Israel.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak briefed his cabinet of ministers on the imminent military intervention earlier on Thursday, the Times reported.
British media also reported that other political figures, including the leader of Britain's opposition Labour Party, Keir Starmer, as well as the speaker of the House of Commons, had been briefed by the government.
Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have stepped up attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea in protest against Israel's war in Gaza. Various shipping lines have suspended operations, instead taking the longer journey around Africa.
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British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and US President Joe Biden
(Photo: Reuters/Hollie Adams)
The U.S. military said the Houthis earlier on Thursday had staged their 27th attack on shipping since Nov. 19, firing an anti-ship ballistic missile into international shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden.
Earlier this week, U.S. and British naval forces had shot down drones and missiles fired by the Houthis toward the southern Red Sea.
First published: 23:36, 01.11.24