The United States and Britain launched a new wave of strikes against 36 Houthi targets in Yemen.
The additional wave of attacks on 13 sites is intended to further disrupt Iranian-backed groups that have attacked US and international interests in the wake of the war between Israel and Hamas, according to US officials.
These strikes on Yemen, launched by ships and combat aircraft, come in the wake of… US air strike on targets in Iraq and Syria on Friday.
This attack targeted other militias supported by Tehran and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in response to the drone strike on Jordan. Three American soldiers were killed Last weekend.
Latest air strikes in the Middle East: The US and UK launched new strikes in Yemen
American officials said that the American strikes on 10 Houthi targets used F/A-18 fighter jets from the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and American warships that launched Tomahawk missiles from the Red Sea.
According to officials, the US destroyers USS Gravely and USS Carney fired the missiles.
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The moment British Royal Air Force planes took off to launch more strikes against Houthi targets.
The British Ministry of Defense said that RAF FGR4 Typhoon aircraft, supported by Voyager tankers, joined US forces in “further deliberate strikes against Houthi positions in Yemen.”
Saturday's strikes were the third time the United States and Britain carried out a major joint operation to strike Houthi weapons launchers, radar sites and drones.
Washington had warned that its response after the killing of soldiers at the Burj 22 base in Jordan would not be limited to one night, one target, or one group.
A RAF Typhoon FGR4 prepares to take off to conduct further strikes against Houthi targets. Photo: Ministry of Defence
But the Houthis were Launching missile and drone attacks on an almost daily basis Against commercial and military ships crossing the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, they made clear that they did not intend to reduce their campaign.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement that the military action, with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and New Zealand, “sends a clear message to the Houthis that they will continue to bear further consequences if they do so.” “They will not end their illegal attacks on international ships and naval vessels.”
He added: “We will not hesitate to defend lives and the free flow of trade in one of the world's most important waterways.”
analysis:
The strikes may reduce Houthi attacks, but there is no indication that they will deter them
US strikes may have unintended consequences
Biden may have no choice but to strike Iran directly
Photo: Ministry of Defence
British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said that this step “is not an escalation,” adding that “Houthi attacks on commercial and military ships in the Red Sea are illegal and unacceptable. It is our duty to protect innocent lives and preserve freedom of navigation.”
“That is why the Royal Air Force has engaged in a third wave of proportionate and targeted strikes against Houthi military targets in Yemen.
“Together with our American allies, and with the support of many international partners, we acted in self-defense and in accordance with international law.”
The US Department of Defense said that the strikes targeted sites linked to the Houthis' deeply buried weapons storage facilities, missile systems, launchers, air defense systems, and radars.
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“There will be revenge”
On Friday, the USS Labone and F/A-18 aircraft from the carrier Eisenhower shot down seven drones launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward the Red Sea.
On the same day, the destroyer Carney shot down a drone launched in the Gulf of Aden, and four other drones that were prepared for launch were shot down by US forces.
Hours before the latest joint operation, the United States launched another self-defense strike on a site in Yemen, destroying six anti-ship cruise missiles, as it has done repeatedly when it detects a missile or drone ready for launch.
Meanwhile, an influential Iraqi militia leader, speaking to Sky News, said the group “does not accept or submit to violations of Iraqi sovereignty.”
Dr. Firas Al-Yasser from the Hezbollah movement warned Al-Nujaba, saying: “We have said this before in a clear and direct way, and we do not accept threats.
He added, “At the present time, if any member of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq is targeted, or any jihadist or fighter from any part of the resistance forces is targeted, there will be retaliation on our part.”
