US and British warplanes again attack Houthi-linked targets in Yemen

The United States and Britain carried out another round of large-scale military strikes on Saturday on multiple locations in Yemen controlled by Houthi militants, US officials said.

The attacks were aimed at affecting the Iranian-backed militants’ ability to attack ships in sea lanes crucial to global trade, a campaign they have been waging for almost four months.

U.S. and British warplanes hit missile systems, launchers and other targets, the officials said. Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and New Zealand provided support for the operation, according to a joint statement from the countries involved emailed to reporters by the Defense Ministry.

The attacks, which the statement called “necessary and proportionate,” hit 18 targets in eight locations in Yemen linked to Houthi underground weapons storage facilities, missile storage facilities, unmanned aerial systems for one-way attacks, air defense systems, radars and a helicopter.

“These precision strikes are intended to disrupt and degrade the capabilities the Houthis use to threaten global trade, naval vessels and the lives of innocent sailors in one of the world’s most critical waterways,” the statement said.

The strikes were the largest salvo since allies struck Houthi targets on February 3 and came after a week in which the Houthis launched attack drones and cruise and ballistic missiles at ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

In a statement to The Associated Press, the Houthis denounced “US-British aggression” and said they would not be deterred. “The Yemeni Armed Forces confirm that they will meet the US-British escalation with increased quality military operations against all hostile targets in the Red and Arabian Seas in defense of our country, our people and our nation,” the statement said.

On Monday, Houthi militants fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles at a cargo ship, the US Central Command said in a statement. The ship, named the Sea Champion, continued its destination at the port of Aden in Yemen, the statement said. Central Command reported several other tit-for-tat attacks between US forces in the area and Houthis that day.

Thursday was more of the same. US warplanes and a ship belonging to a member of the US-led coalition shot down six Houthi attack drones in the Red Sea, Central Command said in another statement. The drones were “likely targeted at US and coalition warships and posed an imminent threat,” it added.

Later that day, the statement said, the Houthis fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles from southern Yemen into the Gulf of Aden, hitting the Islander, a Palau-flagged cargo ship owned by Britain. The ship was damaged and one person was slightly injured.

And earlier on Saturday, the Navy destroyer USS Mason shot down an anti-ship ballistic missile that Central Command said was launched from Yemen into the Gulf of Aden.

The Houthis say their attacks are a protest against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which was launched in response to Hamas attacks in Israel on October 7.

The American-led retaliatory air and sea strikes against Houthi targets began last month.

“The Houthis’ more than 45 attacks on commercial and naval vessels since mid-November threaten the global economy, as well as regional security and stability, and demand an international response,” said Saturday’s statement from the US-led coalition . .

On Saturday evening, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said in a separate statement that the Houthi attacks are “harming the economies of the Middle East, causing environmental damage, and disrupting the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Yemen and other countries.”

The United States and several allies have repeatedly warned the Houthis of dire consequences if the volleys did not stop. But the US-led attacks have so far failed to deter the Houthis. Hundreds of ships have been forced to take a long detour around southern Africa, driving up costs.

Of all the Iranian-backed militias that had escalated hostilities in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza, the Houthis were perhaps the most difficult to contain. While the Houthis have continued their attacks, Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria appear to be experiencing a period of calm since the United States carried out a series of attacks on Iranian forces and the militias they support in Syria and Iraq on February 2.

Middle Eastern experts say that after nearly a decade of dodging airstrikes in a war with Saudi Arabia, the Houthis have become adept at hiding their weapons, planting some of them in urban areas and firing missiles from the back of vehicles before shooting away.