“Today, at my direction, U.S. military forces … successfully conducted strikes against a number of targets in Yemen used by Houthi rebels to endanger freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most vital waterways,” read a statement from US President Joe Biden.
Biden’s statement noted that the strikes were carried out in conjunction with the United Kingdom, and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands.
"These targeted strikes are a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation,” said the statement.
The strikes come following a spate of attacks on international commercial shipping vessels in the Red Sea at the hands of Yemen’s Houthis, a pro-Iran militia in control of most of the country, including its capital Sana’a. The Houthis have vowed to target all ships on the way to Israel in the Bab al-Mandab strait, disrupting a key trade route, in support of Palestinians under attack by Israeli forces in Gaza.
Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement that his country and the US have taken “limited, necessary and proportionate action in self-defence” against the Houthis’ attacks in the Red Sea.
"Despite the repeated warnings from the international community, the Houthis have continued to carry out attacks in the Red Sea," Sunak said.
Britain’s defense ministry said in a statement that results of the strikes are being assessed, however, early indications show “the Houthis’ ability to threaten merchant shipping has taken a blow.”
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on X, that the attacks against the Houthi targets were conducted “to degrade their capability to continue their illegal and reckless attacks” on US and international ships in the Red Sea.
Since October 17 of last year, the Houthis have “attempted to attack and harass” 27 ships in the international shipping lane, according to CENTCOM.
The US and UK strikes come hours after CENTCOM said in a statement on X that the Houthis fired anti-ship ballistic missiles into the international shipping lanes, two days after the group’s largest attack.
On Tuesday, the Houthis directly targeted American ships, in their “largest attack to date,” stressed Biden’s statement.
In December 2023, over 20 nations agreed to join US-launched Operation Prosperity Guardian, a coalition with the mission of defending commercial traffic in the Red Sea and deterring Houthi attacks.
CENTCOM stated that Thursday’s strikes were conducted separately from the Operation Prosperity Guardian and have no association with the operation.
The Saudi foreign ministry in a statement called for restraint and “avoiding escalation” following the strikes.
