US, UK conduct strikes against 8 Houthi targets in Yemen

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - US and British forces with support from other allies conducted strikes Monday against eight Houthi targets in Yemen in response to the group’s attacks in the Red Sea, according to a joint statement.

"The militaries of the United States and United Kingdom, at the direction of their respective governments with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands, conducted an additional round of proportionate and necessary strikes against 8 Houthi targets in Yemen in response to the Houthis' continued attacks against international and commercial shipping as well as naval vessels transiting the Red Sea," the statement said.

The precision strikes are intended to disrupt and degrade the capabilities that the Houthis use to threaten global trade and the lives of mariners, it said.

They are also in response to a series of "illegal, dangerous and destabilizing" Houthi actions since coalition strikes on Jan. 11, including anti-ship ballistic missile and unmanned aerial system attacks that struck two US-owned merchant vessels, it added.

"Today's strike specifically targeted a Houthi underground storage site and locations associated with the Houthis' missile and air surveillance capabilities," it said.

Tensions have escalated in the Red Sea amid Houthi attacks on commercial ships suspected of having links with Israel.

The Houthis say their attacks aim to pressure Israel to halt its deadly onslaught on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 25,295 people since an Oct. 7 cross-border offensive by the Palestinian group Hamas.

The US and UK launched airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen in recent days in retaliation for the attacks, which have created fears of a new bout of inflation and supply chain disruption.