American strikes target Houthi command and control centers, missile systems
Attacks on Yemen are separate from retaliatory measures taken by Washington in Syria and Iraq
The United States and Britain announced Saturday that they had struck dozens of targets in Yemen in response to repeated Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea, which have disrupted global trade.
The strikes hit “36 Houthi targets in 13 locations in Yemen in response to ongoing attacks they have launched against international shipping and commerce,” according to a statement from Washington, London, and other countries that supported the strikes.
U.S. Central Command said the targets struck included command and control centers, missile systems, storage and operating sites for drones, radars, and helicopters.
Central Command noted that these actions aim to “weaken Houthi capabilities that they exploit to continue their illegitimate and reckless attacks on U.S. and British ships, as well as international navigation in the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden.”
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Saturday’s strikes send a message to the Houthis that they will face further consequences if they do not halt their attacks on ships and international navigation.
The Pentagon quoted Austin in a statement as saying, “We will not hesitate to defend lives and freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most important waterways.”
Two senior U.S. officials told CNN that President Joe Biden approved the strikes carried out in Yemen last week, with one of them affirming that these strikes are separate from the “retaliatory measures” taken by Washington in Syria and Iraq.
Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah TV confirmed that a new series of strikes on Saturday night targeted six provinces under Houthi control in Yemen, including the capital Sanaa. The channel reported on social media just before midnight (9:00 GMT) that “the aggression of the American-British enemy targeted the Nahdin and Attan areas south of the capital,” while witnesses reported hearing intense explosions and heavy aircraft flying. Later, Al-Masirah announced further strikes targeting the provinces of Hajjah, Dhamar, Al-Bayda, Taiz, and Al-Hudaydah.
Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree confirmed that American-British aircraft carried out 48 airstrikes in various areas across several Yemeni provinces in the past hours.
Saree, in a brief statement posted on his personal account on the X platform, explained that “the aggression of the American-British enemy targeted the provinces of Sanaa, Al-Hudaydah, Taiz, Al-Bayda, Hajjah, and Saada.”
He emphasized that these attacks “will not pass without retaliation and punishment,” reaffirming Yemen’s stance by saying that the strikes “will not deter us from our ethical, religious, and humanitarian position in support of the steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.”
The US forces also shot down eight drones off the coast of Yemen and destroyed four other drones on the ground prepared for launch, according to the US military announced today Saturday, as Washington and London continue airstrikes on Houthi sites in response to their targeting of navigation movement in the Red Sea.
These strikes coincided with US forces conducting a series of airstrikes on Friday night targeting Iran-affiliated targets in Iraq and Syria in response to an attack that killed three American soldiers last weekend.
An American destroyer shot down a drone Friday morning, while fighter jets and a warship shot down seven drones later in the same day. Additionally, US forces destroyed four other drones on the ground before they could be launched, according to the US Central Command (CENTCOM) in the Middle East on Saturday on social media.
CENTCOM stated that the drones destroyed on the ground belonged to the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, but did not specify any group or state associated with the drones shot down in the air. It also reported no injuries or damage from the downing of drones over open waters.
CENTCOM explained that “these measures will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer for US Navy ships and commercial vessels.”
Houthi rebels began targeting ships in the Red Sea in November, stating that they were targeting ships associated with Israel to support Palestinians in Gaza, which was destroyed in the war between Israel and Hamas.
In response, US and British forces launched airstrikes on the Houthis, who declared that American and British interests are also legitimate targets.
American media reported Friday that the military is launching additional defensive strikes inside Yemen against Houthi military targets deemed an imminent threat.
The Houthi group announced that the US and Britain carried out an attack on the Hajjah province, northwest of Yemen, with seven airstrikes.
Al-Masirah TV channel affiliated with the Houthis reported through its news ticker “an American-British aggression targeting the Al-Jar district in the Abs directorate in Hajjah” without further details.
Later, the same channel announced that “the American-British aggression launched 3 new airstrikes on the Al-Jar district”, bringing the total airstrikes on Friday to 7. Hajjah province, mostly under Houthi control and bordering Saudi Arabia.
The leader of the group, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, said in a televised speech this week that “the American and British strikes on Yemen are futile and have no impact and will not diminish our military capabilities”, pledging “to continue attacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden until the Israeli aggression is stopped and the blockade on Gaza is lifted.”
Intermittently since January 12th last year, a US-led coalition has been conducting airstrikes targeting Houthi sites in various parts of Yemen in response to their attacks in the Red Sea, prompting threats from the group that they “will not pass without a response”.
