The United States and the United Kingdom have jointly conducted a significant military operation against targets in Yemen, as confirmed by the US Central Command on Saturday. This operation saw a combination of air and sea attacks targeting a total of 36 sites across 13 locations within Yemen.
Utilizing Tomahawk missiles from US Navy vessels and F/A-18 fighter bombers taking off from the USS Eisenhower aircraft carrier, the operation was extensive. The targets included a variety of strategic points such as underground storage areas, command centers, missile systems, UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) facilities, radar installations, and helicopters. The Central Command has articulated that the objective of these strikes is to significantly weaken the Houthi rebels’ ability to launch further aggressive and unauthorized actions against US and UK maritime interests and international commercial shipping routes.
“This operation is a direct response to the Houthi’s continued and indiscriminate targeting of maritime assets belonging to the US, the UK, and other international stakeholders,” CENTCOM stated, highlighting the defensive nature of the strikes.
In a separate initiative earlier the same day, the US targeted six additional sites in Yemen. These strikes aimed to neutralize Houthi cruise missiles poised for launch towards vessels in the Red Sea, further emphasizing the defensive stance of the US military actions.
In contrast, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a senior political figure and spokesman for the Houthis, conveyed a staunch resistance to these military interventions.
“We will respond to escalation with further escalation. Our actions against the Zionist regime will persist until the hostilities against Gaza cease, regardless of the sacrifices,” al-Bukhaiti declared on the social media platform X.
The Houthis have escalated their maritime attacks, aligning with Palestinians since the onset of hostilities between Israel and Hamas in October of the previous year. Initially focusing on Israeli-linked ships, their aggression expanded to include vessels owned by the US and the UK following the coalition’s operations in Yemen.
This recent surge in military activity follows closely on the heels of airstrikes conducted by the US in Iraq and Syria, which Washington claims were aimed at the Islamic Resistance movement and other groups receiving support from Iran. These were in retaliation for a drone attack that resulted in the deaths of three US soldiers in Jordan.
Critics argue that these bombing campaigns stand in violation of international law, raising questions about the legality and moral implications of such military actions.
