The capital of Sanaa, Yemen – The United States and United Kingdom have conducted airstrikes on over 30 Houthi targets in Yemen, according to officials. The strikes, carried out from air and surface platforms, including F/A-18s, targeted locations across 13 different points in Yemen. The operation was supported by several other countries, as stated in a joint statement released on Saturday.
The coordinated strikes specifically focused on sites associated with the Houthis’ deeply buried weapons storage facilities, missile systems and launchers, air defense systems, and radars, the statement from the US, UK, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and New Zealand revealed. The US and UK warplanes reportedly struck multiple provinces in Yemen, including the capital of Sanaa, according to the Houthis.
In addition to the airstrikes, two US destroyers fired Tomahawk missiles, and F/A-18 fighter jets from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier were also involved in the operation. The strikes come as a multi-tiered response to a drone attack that killed three US service members and wounded more than 40 last weekend.
The US has chosen not to directly target Iran but has instead gone after some of its most powerful proxies in the region. The strikes in Yemen are distinct from the attacks in Iraq and Syria. The former is a response to ongoing Houthi attacks on international shipping lanes and US warships in the Red Sea, while the latter is a retaliation for a deadly attack on US troops. Both operations target Iranian-backed groups in the Middle East. The actions represent an indirect way of trying to send a message to Iran’s leadership, which has grown increasingly nervous about the actions of some of the militant organizations it funds, arms, and supplies to different degrees.
Overall, the coordinated strikes by the US and UK in Yemen mark a significant escalation in the efforts to counter Houthi aggression in the region. The broader geopolitical implications of these actions and the impact on the ongoing tensions in the Middle East are yet to unfold. The situation continues to evolve as the Biden administration and its allies navigate the delicate balance of regional power dynamics.