US-led coalition launches dozens of airstrikes against Houthi positions in Yemen
Since Hamas massacre on Oct. 7, Houthi rebels declared support for the terror group and launched numerous attacks against Israel
An international coalition led by the United States launched dozens of airstrikes and missile attacks against targets belonging to the Houthi rebels in Yemen early on Friday morning.
The strikes were carried out by U.S. and British forces with support from Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and Bahrain.
According to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the goal was to “degrade their capability to continue their illegal and reckless attacks on U.S. and international vessels and commercial shipping in the Red Sea.”
On Jan. 11 at 2:30 a.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. Central Command forces, in coordination with the United Kingdom, and support from Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and Bahrain conducted joint strikes on Houthi targets to degrade their capability to continue their illegal and… pic.twitter.com/bR8biMolSx
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 12, 2024
In the aftermath of the brutal Hamas invasion of Israel on Oct. 7, the Houthi rebels declared their support for the terror group and have since launched numerous attacks against Israel and ships traversing the Bab el-Mandeb straits.
“These targeted strikes are a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most critical commercial routes,” U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement.
“I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary.”
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the British Royal Air Force participated in the strikes because “the United Kingdom will always stand up for freedom of navigation and the free flow of trade.”
“Early indications are that the Houthis’ ability to threaten merchant shipping…has taken a blow,” the UK's Defense Ministry stated. According to CENTCOM, the strikes targeted radar systems, air defense systems, and storage and launch sites for drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles.
The air and missile strikes were carried out by some of the considerable U.S. forces stationed in the vicinity of the Red Sea since the war beginning of the war between Israel and the Hamas terror group. These included a submarine, several destroyers and jet fighters, and part of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier strike group, a U.S. defense official said, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
A spokesman for the Houthi rebels told the Al Jazeera channel there were dead and wounded as a result of the bombings and that they were working to verify the number of casualties.
The Houthi rebels strongly protested against the attacks and claimed to have launched retaliatory strikes against coalition forces.
“This is a brutal aggression,” Nasr al-Din Amir, a Houthi official, told the WSJ. “They will undoubtedly pay its price, and we will not waver in our stance to support the Palestinian people, regardless of the cost.”
Despite the threats, the U.S. had no information about any attacks against its forces or those belonging to coalition members in the area, a senior military official told reporters.
“We hold the Houthi militants and their destabilizing Iranian sponsors responsible for the illegal, indiscriminate, and reckless attacks on international shipping that have impacted 55 nations so far, including endangering the lives of hundreds of mariners, including the U.S.,” said CENTCOM commander, General Michael Erik Kurilla.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani “strongly condemned” the strikes, adding, “We consider it a clear violation of Yemen’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and a breach of international laws, regulations and rights.”
The Lebanese terror group Hezbollah, another Iranian proxy force in the region, also called the strikes on Yemen “American aggression,” and accused the U.S. of being a “full partner of the massacres… carried out by the Zionist enemy.”
The Saudi Foreign Ministry stated that it followed the developments “with great concern” and called to de-escalate the situation.
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The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
