US and UK jointly launch 'more than a dozen' airstrikes Houthi targets Two US officials in Yemen confirmed this to CBS News on Saturday.This is the fourth joint strike of the Allied forces. From January 11th The aim is to pressure the Houthis to stop attacking commercial shipping lanes in the Red Sea.
The airstrikes hit eight locations in Yemen and 18 Houthi targets, according to a joint statement issued by the coalition, which included troops from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and New Zealand, involved in Saturday's action.
The airstrikes targeted “Houthi underground weapons storage facilities, missile storage facilities, one-way strike unmanned aerial systems, air defense systems, radars and helicopters,” the statement said.
In the past few weeks, the United States has also conducted more than 30 self-defense strikes against Houthi weapons that were “prepared to launch” to attack merchant ships and U.S. Navy ships, according to U.S. Central Command.
“The United States will not hesitate to take action as necessary to protect lives and free commerce in one of the world's most important waterways,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a separate statement Saturday. Stated. “We urge the Houthis to stop their illegal attacks that are damaging Middle Eastern economies, causing environmental damage, and disrupting the delivery of humanitarian aid to Yemen and other countries, or they will face the consequences. We will continue to clarify this.”
Despite the barrage of attacks, the Houthis continue to attack. launch a missile or drone By boat in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. As of this week, U.S. defense officials said there had been at least 60 Houthi attacks since Nov. 19.
“We have never said we are taking the Houthis off the map of any capabilities they have, but with every attack we carry out we further degrade the Houthis' standing,” Sabrina Singh, a Pentagon deputy spokeswoman, said on Tuesday. “I'm letting them do it,” he said.
“And I think [Defense] The Secretary is confident that the more we continue to do this, the Houthis will, and they are already feeling the effects,” Singh said.
The Houthis have linked their attacks to the war between Israel and Hamas and have vowed to continue targeting ships supporting Israel's war efforts. US officials say Many of the ships targeted by the Houthis have no connection to Israel or the Gaza conflict.
“There have now been more than 45 attacks by the Houthis on commercial and naval vessels since mid-November, posing a threat to the global economy and regional security and stability, and demanding an international response,” the joint statement on Saturday said. It is stated that “Our coalition of like-minded countries remains committed to protecting freedom of navigation and international commerce and holding the Houthis accountable for their illegal and unjustified attacks on commercial and military vessels.”
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