In the ongoing conflict between the Iran-backed Houthi rebels and the US and UK, a fresh series of joint air strikes were conducted against eight Houthi targets in Yemen. The strikes, conducted by the US and supported by the UK, targeted an underground storage site and Houthi missile and surveillance capability. The Houthis have been targeting ships they say are linked to Israel and the West that travel through the important Red Sea trade route, leading the US and UK to protect the “free flow of commerce.”
The joint strike operation is the second of its kind following a previous attack on 11 January. US fighter jets from the carrier USS Eisenhower were involved in the strikes, with four RAF Typhoons supported by a pair of Voyager tankers joining the US forces. This is the eighth such attack by the US against Houthi targets in Yemen.
Although the strikes destroyed missiles just as they were being prepared for launch and western intelligence recently estimated that at least 30% of Houthi missile stocks had been destroyed or degraded, the Houthis remain defiant. They have continued to launch attacks on shipping passing Yemen’s coastline, including one case mistakenly targeting a ship carrying Russian oil.
The conflict has caused concern in the wider Arab world, where the Houthis say they are supporting Hamas as part of the Iran-backed “Axis of Resistance” against Israel. The group’s attacks on commercial tankers have made them popular among Yemenis, who have been suffering under their rule. So far, the US and UK have aimed to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the region, but have reiterated warnings to Houthi leadership, stating that they will “not hesitate to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in one of the world’s most critical waterways in the face of continued threats.”
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