United States And United Kingdom Strike Houthi Militant Facilities In Yemen
The United States and United Kingdom announced late on Thursday that their militaries have conducted strikes on Houthi militant facilities in Yemen, aiming to “disrupt and degrade” the Iranian-backed group’s ability to mount further attacks on merchant shipping in the Red Sea.
The strikes targeted Houthi facilities related to their unmanned aerial vehicle, ballistic and cruise missile, and coastal radar and air surveillance capabilities. Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands provided support for the strikes, which a Department of Defense official said were carried out with US Air Force, US Navy and Royal Air Force aircraft, US and Royal Navy warships and submarines.
In a policy paper published on Friday, the United Kingdom stated that international law permitted the “necessary and proportionate” strikes, as they were “the only feasible means available” to respond to continued Houthi attacks on shipping, which London says culminated in the use of multiple drones against HMS Diamond on January 9.
A Houthi spokesperson claimed on Friday that five of its fighters had been killed in the strikes and six injured, but did not provide any details on damage to facilities.
A senior American administration official told reporters Thursday night that the strikes were ordered by President Joe Biden following a meeting of his national security team on January 9, after American and British naval forces shot down 20 drones and 3 missiles targeting an American commercial vessel with U.S. warships alongside it. At the end of that meeting, Biden directed Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to carry out the strikes that took place on Thursday.
The official added that Iran has “certainly” been involved in the Houthi campaign against merchant shipping. While they declined to indicate any possible further actions against the Houthis, they said that “we do hold Iran responsible for the role that they have played with the Houthis and with the other groups in the region that have conducted attacks against U.S. forces, and have made them aware of that”.
The strikes came after UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps told reporters on Wednesday to “watch this space” on possible retaliatory action. Later the same day, Shapps issued a statement that the HMS Diamond had been targeted during the January 9 attack, saying that it was “the largest attack on a Royal Navy warship in decades”.