- By Ruth Comerford and Frank Gardner, Security Correspondents
- BBC News
January 22, 2024
Updated 20 minutes ago
video caption,
Watch: Explosions and lightning near Yemen's capital
The US and Britain have carried out a new series of joint airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.
The Pentagon said Monday's strikes hit eight targets, including an underground warehouse and Houthi missile and surveillance capabilities.
The Iran-backed Houthis have targeted ships they say are linked to Israel and the West and sail through the crucial Red Sea trade route.
The US and Britain said they were trying to protect the “free flow of trade”.
A joint Pentagon statement confirmed “an additional round of proportionate and necessary strikes” against the Houthis.
The statement continued: “Our goal remains to defuse tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea, but let us reiterate our warning to the Houthi leadership: We will not hesitate to protect lives and the free flow of trade in one “To defend one of the world’s largest territories.” critical waterways in the face of ongoing threats.
This is the eighth U.S. strike against Houthi targets in Yemen. It is the second joint operation with Britain, following joint attacks on January 11.
Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron told reporters the UK had sent a “clear message” and would “continue to weaken” the Houthis' ability to carry out attacks.
Asked whether the attacks could increase tensions in the Middle East, Lord Cameron said it was the Houthis who were escalating the situation and he was “confident” that the previous attacks had been effective.
He went on to say that the Houthis' narrative that the attacks were linked to the war between Israel and Hamas “should not be accepted” and that the UK wants a “quick end to the conflict” in Gaza.
Lord Cameron said the UK had called for an “immediate humanitarian pause” and “we want this to become a permanent, sustainable ceasefire”. It's a plan he will present during a visit to the region this week, he said.
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Watch: We're sending the Houthis the clearest message possible – Cameron
The joint statement said the attacks were carried out with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands.
US fighter jets from the aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower were involved in Monday's attacks.
Four RAF Typhoons, supported by two Voyager tankers, joined US forces, Britain's Ministry of Defense (MoD) said.
“Our aircraft used Paveway IV precision-guided bombs to attack multiple targets at two military sites near Sanaa airfield. These locations were used to enable the ongoing intolerable attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea,” the Defense Department said.
“In line with standard British practice, very rigorous analysis was applied in planning the attacks to minimize the risk of civilian casualties and, as with the previous attacks, our aircraft bombed at night to further mitigate such risks,” it said further.
Government Minister Huw Merriman told Sky News the airstrikes would be “not just an isolated incident” if the Houthis continued to attack ships in the Red Sea.
British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps described the attacks as “self-defense” against the Houthis’ “unbearable attacks” on merchant shipping.
“This action aims to weaken the Houthi capabilities and will deal a further blow to their limited supplies and ability to threaten global trade,” he wrote on X.
It is understood that neither British House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle nor opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer were informed in advance of the new attacks.
The Houthi-operated channel Al Masirah TV reported attacks in the Yemeni provinces of Sanaa, Taiz and Bayda, including at the al-Dailami air base near the capital Sanaa.
Ten days after the first carefully coordinated joint air and missile strike by the US and Britain, the Houthis remain defiant.
They continued to fire various projectiles at ships passing the Yemeni coast. In one case, they mistakenly targeted a ship carrying Russian oil.
As part of the newly named Operation Poseidon Archer, the US-led strikes have now hit new targets, following several pre-emptive strikes on Houthi launch pads.
According to the Pentagon, these destroyed missiles just as they were being prepared for launch. Western intelligence agencies recently estimated that at least 30% of the Houthi missile stockpile had been destroyed or degraded.
But the Houthis, supplied, trained and advised by Iran, are clearly intent on continuing their attacks on ships they suspect are linked to Israel, the US or the UK.
This has earned them widespread popularity in their own country, where many Yemenis suffer under their brutal rule.
They are also popular with many across the Arab world, as the Houthis say they support Hamas as part of the Iran-backed “Axis of Resistance” against Israel.
This came after US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke earlier on Monday.
In an official readout of their call, the White House said that Mr. Biden and Mr. Sunak “discussed the ongoing Iran-backed Houthi attacks on commercial and naval vessels transiting the Red Sea.”
They reaffirmed “their commitment to freedom of navigation, international trade, and protecting seafarers from illegal and unwarranted attacks,” the White House said.
It continued: “The President and Prime Minister discussed the importance of increasing humanitarian assistance and civilian protection for the people of Gaza, as well as ensuring the release of hostages held by Hamas.”
The Houthis began attacking merchant ships in November, saying they were responding to Israel's military ground operation in Gaza.
Since then, the group has carried out dozens of attacks on commercial tankers traveling through the Red Sea, one of the world's busiest shipping routes.
In response, the US and Britain launched a wave of airstrikes on January 11 against dozens of Houthi targets.
Those attacks – which were also supported by Australia, Bahrain, the Netherlands and Canada – began after Houthi forces ignored an ultimatum to stop attacks in the region.