US and UK Attack Houthi Targets in Yemen

The armies of the United States and Britain attacked military centers of the Houthis in Yemen.

According to a US official, early Friday morning on January 12, the US and British militaries targeted radar centers, drone launch pads, and coastal monitoring sites. These strikes were carried out in response to Houthi attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea.

Officials of the Houthi government condemned these attacks and vowed retaliation. The US official who announced the strikes said in response to the Houthis: “This operation has concluded, but if the threats continue, we reserve the right to respond.”

The Houthis announced regarding their Red Sea attacks that strikes against ships owned by Israel or moving toward Israeli ports are in response to Israeli attacks on Gaza and the blockade of the region, and will continue to do so.

US President Joe Biden announced support from Bahrain, Canada, Australia, and the Netherlands for the US and British attacks on Yemen. According to Al Jazeera’s correspondent, the US-British bombing targeted Al-Daylami Air Base north of Sana’a, Yemen’s capital, west of Hodeidah International Airport and north of Kahlan Camp in Saada. Abbs Airport in Hajjah Province in northwestern Yemen and the Al-Jand area in northern Taiz Province in southern Yemen were also targeted by these strikes.

The commander of the US Air Force in the Middle East said regarding this morning’s attacks: “In this morning’s air strikes, 60 targets at 16 Houthi-affiliated sites came under military fire, and over 100 missiles were used in the attack against the Yemen Houthis.”

The British Ministry of Defense announced the entry of four Typhoon fighters into Yemen. The fighters took off from a British base in Cyprus and refueled in the air with the assistance of a tanker aircraft to conduct strikes on Yemeni military areas. These fighters attacked a drone launch site in northwestern Yemen and a cruise missile and drone launch site in the Abbs area of Yemen.

In these strikes, F-18 fighters from the USS Eisenhower aircraft carrier and the US Florida nuclear submarine, equipped with cruise missiles, participated.

The Russian government, while opposing and condemning the above strikes, which it referred to as a violation of the UN Charter, called for an emergency and open Security Council session on Friday to examine the US and British attacks against Yemen.

Russia’s request for immediate investigation of these strikes and condemnation of them as violations of the UN Charter comes as two years have passed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine—attacks that cost the lives of many Ukrainians.

Abdullah bin Amir, one of the leaders of the Ansar Allah group, also reacted to these attacks and said: “These strikes targeted military bases in the suburbs of Sana’a and Hodeidah Port, and Yemen will not hesitate to respond to these attacks. We have capabilities that enable us to legitimately defend ourselves.”

While holding Washington and London responsible, he stressed that Ansar Allah will continue its operations and attacks in the Red Sea until Israeli attacks on Gaza end. Abdullah Amir also added that if the US and Britain escalate this war, Ansar Allah will attack American and British bases in the region.