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(CNN) — The United States and the United Kingdom, with support from several other countries, launched attacks on Houthi positions in Yemen from air and surface platforms, including fighter jets. According to two US officials, 30 targets were hit in at least 10 locations.
Objectives included command and control; an underground weapons storage facility; Other weapons used by the Houthis to attack international shipping routes, one of the officials said.
“Our goal is to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea, but let us reiterate our warning to Houthi leaders: We will not hesitate to protect life and continue the free flow of commerce in one of the world’s most vital waterways . “In the face of continuing threats,” the United States and the United Kingdom said in a joint statement along with Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and New Zealand.
Two US destroyers fired Tomahawk missiles as part of an attack on Houthi positions in Yemen, a US official told CNN. USS Gravely and USS Carney, both Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers, fired land-attack cruise missiles during the operation.
F/A-18 fighters from the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower also took part in the strikes, officials said.
Earlier on Saturday, the United States struck six Houthi anti-ship cruise missiles before they were launched into the Red Sea, US Central Command said.
The attacks come on consecutive days as the Biden administration adopted a “multi-tiered” response to the drone strike that killed three US service members and injured dozens of others last weekend.
On February 3, 2024, the US-led coalition carried out airstrikes in Yemen in response to the Houthi offensive in the Red Sea. (Credit: US Central Command)
To avoid a regional war with Tehran, the United States has not directly targeted Iran but has instead attacked some of its most powerful proxies in the region. According to CNN reports, this is a roundabout way of sending a message to Iran’s leaders, who are alarmed by the actions of some of the organizations they support. Iran funds, arms and supplies these groups to varying degrees, but its leadership does not directly control them.
The attacks in Yemen differ from those in Iraq and Syria: the first attack is a response to ongoing Houthi attacks on international shipping routes and US warships in the Red Sea, while the second is retaliation for a deadly attack against US troops. But both target Iran-backed groups in the Middle East.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the latest strikes were aimed at further disrupting and weakening the capabilities of the Houthi militia.
“This collective action sends a clear message to the Houthis that they will face further consequences if they do not end their illegal attacks on international shipping and naval vessels,” Austin said in a statement Saturday. “We will not hesitate to protect the free flow of life and commerce in one of the world’s most vital waterways.”
US President Joe Biden gave the green light to Saturday’s strikes earlier in the week, according to two senior administration officials, who stressed to CNN that the US does not want an escalation and that the strikes are a direct response to the Houthis’ actions.
Biden acknowledged last month that previous strikes against the Houthis had not stopped the rebel group, but he made clear that attacks would continue.
Meanwhile, Mohammed al-Bukaiti, a senior member of the Houthi political council, said in a statement on Saturday: “The bombing of several Yemeni provinces by the US-British coalition will not change our position, and we reaffirm that our military operations against Israel “They will continue until the crimes of genocide in Gaza end and the siege on its residents is lifted, no matter what sacrifices we have to make.”
On Friday, the United States launched separate unilateral strikes on four targets in Syria and three in Iraq, hitting more than 85 targets, including command and control centers, intelligence centers and weapons facilities.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said after the operation, “We believe the strikes were successful.”
But the Biden administration promised to take more action against Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria.
Austin said in a statement that Friday’s US strikes were “the beginning of the (US) response.” Neither the White House nor the Pentagon said exactly when the next phase of the response would unfold.
On February 3, 2024, the US-led coalition carried out airstrikes in Yemen in response to the Houthi offensive in the Red Sea. (Credit: US Central Command)
Almost exactly 24 hours after the first American weapons were hit in Iraq and Syria, the United States launched further strikes in Yemen.
Saturday’s strikes are the third time in recent weeks that the United States and the United Kingdom have attacked Houthi positions as part of a joint operation. On January 11, both armies attacked approximately 30 Houthi positions. Less than two weeks later, the United States and the United Kingdom attacked eight more sites.
Previous strikes targeted Houthi weapons storage facilities and radar sites in an effort to disrupt the Iran-backed rebel group’s ability to attack international shipping routes in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, the world’s most important rivers.
But the Houthis remain defiant after the latest round of US-led attacks and have pledged to be “even more determined” to confront what they call “aggressors” including the US and Britain.
In addition to large-scale strikes against Houthi targets, the United States has also conducted smaller strikes against Houthi weapons. On Friday, US forces attacked four Houthi drones that US Central Command said were ready to launch and posed an “immediate threat” to US shipping lanes and warships. On the same day, US forces, including a guided missile destroyer and an F/A-18 fighter jet, shot down a total of eight drones over the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
CNN’s Kanita Iyer and Priscilla Alvarez contributed to this report.
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