After months of tension in the region, the United States and the United Kingdom responded to the actions of the Houthi rebels with attacks on targets in Yemen on Thursday night (11). The move is in retaliation for the rebels' harassment of merchant shipping in the Red Sea, attacking commercial ships with drones and missiles.
More than 15 US F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters, operating from US Navy aircraft carriers, and four Eurofighter Typhoon FGR.4 of the Royal Air Force (RAF), used precision weapons against radar systems, launch and storage bases for missiles and drones of the rebels who control much of Yemen, US government officials said.
The bombing also comes a day after the Houthis' biggest attack on shipping traffic in the Red Sea. There were 21 drones launched against the vessels, all of which were intercepted. The targets were in the capital, Sanaa, and the cities of Al Hodaydah, Sa'dah, Taiz and Dhamar. Ships and submarines have also fired missiles at the Houthis.
Oven @RoyalAirForce Typhoons have conducted precision strikes on two Houthi military targets alongside US forces.
The threat to innocent lives and global trade has become so great that this action was not only necessary, it was our duty to protect vessels & freedom of navigation pic.twitter.com/tbN7ncJYpF
- Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) January 12, 2024
In a statement, US President Joe Biden confirmed that the attacks in the country “are a direct response to the unprecedented Houthi attacks on international ships in the Red Sea – including the use of anti-ship missiles for the first time in history.”
On Jan. 11 at 2:30 a.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. Central Command forces, in coordination with the United Kingdom, and from Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and Bahrain conducted t strikes on Houthi targets to degrade their ability to continue their illegal and… pic.twitter.com/bR8biMolSx
- US Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 12, 2024
After the attacks, thousands of Yemenis took to the streets this Friday (12) to protest and condemn the bombing. Mohammed Ali al-Houthi of the Houthi Supreme Political Council said the attacks were US terrorism. “The United States is the Devil,” he told the population.
Smoke and Fire rising from the Port of Hodeidah in Western Yemen following US and British Airstrikes within the last hour. pic.twitter.com/upnYOqCbyV
— Amit Shah (Parody) (@Motabhai012) January 12, 2024
The rebels said they will continue attacking the vessels until Israel leaves Palestine, where it is searching for Hamas cells. The rebels' actions affected around 15% of world maritime trade and large shipping companies stopped sailing through the Red Sea due to the situation. The US, UK and more countries promised protection for ships and the right to free maritime traffic.
With information CNN e with the BBC
