On Friday, January 12, US officials announced that US and British forces targeted the positions of the Iran-backed Houthi group in Yemen in early morning attacks.
According to the Associated Press, the forces of the two countries launched a retaliatory and extensive attack using Tomahawk missiles and fighter jets, bombarding Houthi positions.
In this regard, the commander of US Air Force Central Command stated that in the attack, over 60 targets were targeted in 16 regions in Yemen, including command and control positions, ammunition depots, missile launch systems, and radar systems.
The Houthis have been launching drones and missiles at commercial shipping vessels in the Red Sea for weeks, many of which have been intercepted and shot down by US Navy ships in the area. Their drones and missiles are provided by Iran’s regime, and they have been acting as a terror arm for the Revolutionary Guards.
Reuters also reported that a Houthi group official confirmed attacks in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, as well as in the cities of Saada and Dhamar, and in the Al Hodeidah province.
Eyewitnesses also told Reuters that the United States and Britain targeted a military base near Sanaa Airport, a military position near Taiz Airport, a Houthi naval base in Hodeidah, and military positions in the Hajjah province.
US President Joe Biden declared the objective of the attacks on Houthi positions as ensuring “freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most vital waterways” and added, “These strikes are in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea.”
“Operation Prosperity Guardian—a coalition of more than 20 nations committed to defending international shipping and deterring Houthi attacks in the Red Sea,” the US president added.
In the meantime, the Iranian regime has condemned the attack on its proxy group in Yemen.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah, another Iranian proxy group in the Middle East, has also condemned the US and British attacks on the Houthis.
Russia has called for an immediate meeting of the United Nations Security Council. The country, along with China and two other countries, abstained from voting on the US-proposed resolution in the United Nations Security Council on January 10.
After the adoption of this resolution, John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House said that the text of the resolution explicitly calls on the Houthis to stop these attacks and emphasizes the need for the Security Council to support the safe passage of commercial shipping and the safe transit of vessels through the Red Sea.
Mr. Kirby added that the United States is not seeking a confrontation and is calling for the safe and secure passage of commercial vessels through the Red Sea. However, if this matter is not achieved, it will consult with its partners on the necessary actions.
Hours before the strike on Thursday, Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said Iran “has a role to play” in getting the Houthis to stop their “reckless, dangerous, and illegal activity.” If they did not, he said, “there will be consequences.”
Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, also warned the Houthis and the Iranian regime on Thursday that the continuous attacks by Houthi rebels under the support of the Islamic Republic of Iran on commercial shipping lines in the Red Sea will have “consequences.”
