US, UK strike 36 Houthi targets to end ship attacks
Militaries from the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US) conducted more strikes against the Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen on Saturday. The strikes, which hit 36 Huthi targets across 13 locations, came amid repeated attacks on cargo ships in the Red Sea. In a statement, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin stated that America and the UK also received backing from Bahrain, Australia, Denmark, Canada, New Zealand, and the Netherlands in conducting the additional strikes.
Why does this story matter?
The Iran-backed Houthi rebels started targeting Red Sea shipping in November last year. The rebels claimed to be targeting Israeli-linked vessels in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which has been devastated by the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. To recall, Palestinian terrorist group Hamas infiltrated southern Israel on October 7 last year and killed around 1,200 people. Israel responded by launching a military campaign in Gaza, killing more than 27,000 people thus far.
More details on latest strike on Houthi targets
Austin stated that these strikes were intended to further disrupt and impair the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels' ability to carry out reckless attacks against US and international vessels lawfully transiting the Red Sea. It's also learned that the coalition forces struck 13 locations associated with the rebels' deeply buried weapons storage facilities, missile systems and launchers, air defense systems, and radars.
Alleged visuals of airstrikes on Houthi targets
Earlier strikes by US forces on Houthi targets
On Saturday, the Central Command (CENTCOM) said that US forces separately carried out strikes against six Houthi anti-ship missiles that were read "to launch against ships in the Red Sea." The military command also added that American forces shot down eight drones near Yemen on Friday and destroyed four more before they were launched.
Recent death of US soldiers in Jordan
The joint air raids in Yemen followed the killing of three US soldiers in a drone attack by Iran-backed militias at a military outpost in Jordan on January 28. This was also the first time US personnel were killed by enemy fire in the Middle East since the Israel-Hamas conflict began. American officials claimed the drone was fired by Iran-backed rebels and appeared to have come from Syria. However, Iran rejected any involvement.
All you need to know about Houthis
The Houthis are an armed terrorist group from a sub-sect of the Shia Muslim minority, the Zaidis, and took their name from the movement's founder, Hussein al-Houthi. Formally known as Ansar Allah (Partisans of God), the rebel group was formed in the 1990s to fight what they viewed as the corruption of the then Yemen president, Ali Abdullah Saleh.
