The United States of America and the United Kingdom have carried out air strikes, as well as sea attacks against Houthi military targets in Yemen after the rebels carried out attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
The Houthi-run satellite news station, Al-Masirah reported that the Al-Dailami Air Base north of Sanaa, the airport in the port city of Hodeida, a camp east of Saada, the airport in the city of Taiz, and an airport close to Hajjah were all struck by the attacks.
On Friday, the Houthis reported that the attacks had left five people dead and six injured, although they did not specify who the victims were.
A Houthi spokesman acknowledged “raids” on the governorate of Hodeidah, the capital city of Sanaa, and the cities of Saada and Dhamar. The official described the raids as “American-Zionist-British aggression.”
In response to these strikes, a high-ranking Houthi official, Ali al-Qahoum, has promised that there will be retaliation, as he said in a post on the X social media platform, “The battle will be bigger … and beyond the imagination and expectation of the Americans and the British.”
According to US President Joe Biden, the strikes were in response to the Houthis’ attacks on ships in the Red Sea since November, which has been supported by Iran.
In a statement, Biden said, “These targeted strikes are a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation,” U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement.
According to a statement released by U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, the attacks were directed on Houthi drones, ballistic and cruise missiles, coastal radar, and air surveillance systems.
The prime minister of the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak, said in a separate statement that the Royal Air Force had struck military installations that the Houthis exploited. Four Cyprus-based fighter planes were involved in the attacks, according to the Defence Ministry.
The Prime Minister said that the militants’ series of dangerous attacks on shipping “cannot stand,” as he said that the U.K. took “limited, necessary and proportionate action in self-defence, alongside the United States with non-operational support from the Netherlands, Canada and Bahrain against targets tied to these attacks, to degrade Houthi military capabilities and protect global shipping.”
According to the Houthis, the goal of their attacks is to halt Israel’s conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. However, their targets are becoming less and less connected to Israel, endangering a vital economic route that connects Europe with Asia and the Middle East.
Concurrently, a resolution was voted by the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday, urging the Houthis to immediately stop their attacks and subtly denouncing their arms supplier, Iran. By a vote of 11-0, with four votes abstentions from Algeria, Mozambique, China, and Russia—it was approved.
Along with the United States and United Kingdom, the governments of Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and South Korea released a statement stating that although the goal is to reduce tensions and bring stability back to the Red Sea, the allies will not back down from defending lives and safeguarding trade in the vital waterway.
On the other hand, Russia asked for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the strikes. The current president of the council, France, said that it would take place on Friday afternoon.
Ozioma Samuel-Ugwuezi
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