Tensions have escalated in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, as the United States and the United Kingdom launched a series of air strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen on Thursday. The move came in response to Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea, a key international waterway, following Israel’s actions in Gaza.
In his address to the nation, US President Joe Biden stressed that the military action was aimed at protecting freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most important waterways. He said further action would be taken if necessary to protect people and ensure the free flow of international commerce.
The strikes targeted cities including Sana’a, Hodeidah and Taiz. The military action was carried out with the support of Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands, which form an international coalition against the Houthi rebels.
According to US Air Forces Central Commander Lieutenant General Alex Grynkewich, coalition forces targeted more than 60 sites associated with Iran-backed Houthi militants. The strikes focused on command and control nodes, ammunition depots, rocket launchers, production facilities and air defence radar systems.
In response to the airstrikes, Houthi officials issued threats against the US and the UK. Houthi Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein al-Azzi warned that the nations involved were ‘ready to pay a heavy price and bear the heavy consequences of this attack’.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree reported that five Houthi members were killed and six others injured in the US-UK military operation. Saree called the strikes a “blatant act of aggression” in a televised broadcast, adding that there had been 73 US-UK strikes.
Houthi leader Abdul Malek Al-Houthi warned that any US attack on Yemen ‘will not go unanswered’, hinting at a potentially stronger response than attacks on US ships at sea. Despite this, no immediate retaliation had been observed as of Thursday evening, according to Pentagon officials.
A senior administration official hinted at the possibility of further action against the Houthis, indicating that the situation remains fluid. Reports of new explosions in Yemen’s western port city of Hodeidah on Friday added to the uncertainty and tension in the region.
