US, UK launch new strikes against Houthis in Yemen

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US and the UK carried out strikes Saturday against 36 Houthi targets in 13 locations in Yemen in response to attacks against commercial ships in the Red Sea.

"These precision strikes are intended to disrupt and degrade the capabilities that the Houthis use to threaten global trade, and the lives of innocent mariners, and are in response to a series of illegal, dangerous, and destabilizing Houthi actions since previous coalition strikes on January 11 and 22, 2024, including the January 27 attack which struck and set ablaze the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker M/V Marlin Luanda," according to a statement by the US, the UK, and others who supported the strikes, including Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and New Zealand.

"Today's strike specifically targeted sites associated with the Houthis' deeply buried weapons storage facilities, missile systems and launchers, air defense systems, and radars," it added.

The statement said the Houthis carried out more than 30 attacks on commercial vessels and naval vessels since November.

"We remain committed to protecting freedom of navigation and international commerce and holding the Houthis accountable for their illegal and unjustifiable attacks on commercial shipping and naval vessels," it said.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said separately that the collective action "sends a clear message to the Houthis that they will continue to bear further consequences if they do not end their illegal attacks on international shipping and naval vessels."

"We will not hesitate to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in one of the world's most critical waterways," he added.

It came after airstrikes Friday against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)-Quds Force and Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria after a drone attack killed three American troops in Jordan late last month.