Washington: The United States and Britain launched new strikes on Yemen’s Houthis on Monday. It was their second round of joint military action against the Iran-backed rebels. According to a joint statement by Washington and London with other countries that supported the military action, the latest US-UK strikes were against eight Houthi targets in Yemen in response to the continued attacks of the Houthis against international and commercial shipping as well as naval vessels transiting the Red Sea.
A Houthi underground storage site and locations associated with the Houthis’ missile and air surveillance capabilities were specifically targeted, said the statement. It said that the Houthis had carried out a series of illegal, dangerous, and destabilizing actions and these precision strikes are intended to disrupt and degrade the capabilities that the Houthis use to threaten global trade and the lives of innocent mariners.
American and British forces carried out a first wave of strikes against the rebel group on January 11. The United States launched further air raids against rebel group’s missiles that, as per Washington, were ready to launch and posed a threat to both civilian and military vessels. In addition to military action, Washington is also seeking to put diplomatic and financial pressure on the Houthis.
The Houthis said on Monday that they targeted a US military cargo ship off the coast of Yemen, but this news was disputed by an US official. But the Houthis have vowed to continue their attacks and said that they will respond to any attack on Yemen and continue to prevent Israeli ships from crossing the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden until the end of the war in the Palestinian territory.
The Houthis began striking Israeli-linked vessels on Red Sea in November, in support of Palestinians in Gaza, which has been devastated by the Hamas-Israel war. The Houthis have since declared American and British interests to be legitimate targets as well. Israel’s campaign began after the unprecedented October attacks by Hamas resulting in the deaths of about 1,140 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to reports based on official Israeli figures.
Alarming disturbances and violence involving Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen have stoked tensions of a wider regional conflict.
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