The strikes, supported by four allied countries – were carried out from fighter jets (15 US F-18 and four British Eurofighter Typhoon) and Tomahawk and StormShadow missiles
The US and UK, supported by Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands, conducted several air and missile strikes against various Iran-backed militant group Houthis’ targets in Yemen in the first hours of 13 January ,as a reaction to the reiterated missile and drone attacks against international commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
In a statement, US President Joe Biden made clear the reason for the response and the coalition’s determination to protect their ships and freedom of navigation. “Last week, together with 13 allies and partners, we issued an unequivocal warning that Houthi rebels would bear the consequences if their attacks did not cease.” He said. These strikes are “a clear message” that the US and their 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,“ he added.
British PM Rishi Sunak remarked on the reasons behind the attacks. “The United Kingdom will always stand up for freedom of navigation and the free flow of trade,” Sunak said.
The strikes – the firsts against Houthi rebels in Yemen – came from fighter jets (15 US F-18s and four British Eurofighter Typhoon armed with Storm Shadow missiles) and Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from a US submarine (USS Virginia) and destroyers.
Meanwhile, Houthi official Abdul Qader al-Mortada confirmed the attacks against Yemen on X (Twitter). “American-Zionist-British aggression against Yemen launches several raids on the capital, Sanaa, Hudaydah governorate, Saada, and Dhamar.” It is still unclear what Iran’s reaction will be, but a country’s response might trigger an even larger and more dangerous escalation in the area.
The attacks follow the continued escalation in the Mediterranean by the Yemeni group, which since 19 November carried out some 27 attacks against merchant ships, and after Iran seized on 11 January a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman. Houtis’ attacks were in solidarity with Hamas and the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip, invaded by Israel after the attacks on 7 October.
In the meantime, the European Union is reportedly thinking about sending at least three warships to safeguard vessels in the Red Sea facing attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, as part of a new mission which would build on Agenor, a French-led joint surveillance mission focused on the entire Gulf, part of the Arabian Sea and the Strait of Hormuz and part of the Arabian Sea.
The international community’s response to the Houthis’ attacks started last month when the US launched Operation Prosperity Guardian—a coalition of more than 20 nations committed to defending international shipping and deterring Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.
Caterina Tani, reporting from Brussels
