U.S., U.K. strike Houthi targets in Yemen in response to Red Sea attacks
Houthi military positions in Yemen Thursday night in a massive “direct response” to escalating attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, U.S. President Joe Biden confirmed.The move marks a dramatic escalation of a simmering regional conflict in the Middle East sparked by Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel last October and Israel’s responsive offensive on Gaza.Canada joined Australia, Bahrain and the Netherlands in providing support for the strikes, but the extent of that support was not immediately clear.“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,” Biden said in a statement provided by the White House.“I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary.”The strikes targeted Houthi-connected facilities storing the rebel group’s combat drones and ballistic and anti-ship missiles, as well as air defence systems and logistical hubs in Yemen, U.S.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed in a statement.Multiple U.S. officials told the Associated Press and Reuters that more than a dozen targets were successfully hit.The British Defence Ministry said it directly conducted precision strikes on two facilities that had been used by the Houthis to launch drones and missiles.“In planning the strikes, particular care was taken to minimize any risks to civilians, and any such risks were mitigated further by the decision to conduct the strikes during the night,” the ministry said in a statement.“The detailed results of the strikes are being assessed, but early indications are that
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