U.S. and UK Launch Attacks on Yemen; Houthi Rebels Vow Counteraction
The Houthis declare that all American and British interests are now considered 'valid targets.'
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In response to Houthi rebel attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, the United States and Britain initiated military strikes in Yemen, heightening concerns about a potential escalation of conflict in the region.
Following the early Friday attacks, acknowledged by the rebels to have resulted in five casualties, the Houthis issued a warning, declaring that all U.S. and British assets are now considered "legitimate targets."
US President Joe Biden said the strikes followed “unprecedented” attacks by the Houthis on commercial ships in the Red Sea and warned he would “not hesitate” to take further action if necessary.
“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,” Biden said of the attacks by air and sea.
The attacks struck nearly 30 locations in Yemen using more than 150 munitions, US Lieutenant General Douglas Sims, the director of the Joint Staff, said late on Friday. He did not expect a high number of casualties as the targets included those in rural areas. But he said Washington expected the Houthis to attempt to retaliate.
In a statement the Houthis’ Supreme Political Council threatened that “all American-British interests have become legitimate targets for the Yemeni armed forces in response to their direct and declared aggression against the Republic of Yemen.”
Earlier, the Houthis called the strikes on Yemen “barbaric”, threatened retaliation and also said they will continue targeting ships heading towards Israel for as long as its war on Gaza continues.
“The American and British enemy bears full responsibility for its criminal aggression against our Yemeni people, and it will not go unanswered and unpunished,” Yahya Saree, the group’s military spokesperson said.
Yemen’s Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government, however, blamed the Houthis for the UK and US strikes on the country, saying the rebels bore responsibility for dragging Yemen into an arena of military confrontation with its attacks in the Red Sea.
On Friday, tens of thousands of Yemenis gathered in several cities across the country to condemn the US and British strikes and to reaffirm their support for Palestinians in Gaza.
Mohammed Abdul-Salam, the Houthis’ chief negotiator and spokesperson, described the US and Britain as having “committed foolishness with this treacherous aggression”
“They were wrong if they thought that they would deter Yemen from supporting Palestine and Gaza,” he wrote online. The group’s “targeting will continue to affect Israeli ships or those heading to the ports of occupied Palestine”, he added.
Al Masirah, a Houthi-run satellite news channel, reported that the strikes hit the al-Dailami air base north of the capital, Sanaa, the airport in the strategic port city of Hodeidah, a camp east of Saada, the airport in the city of Taiz and an airport near Hajjah.
The strikes are the first on Yemeni territory since 2016 and also marked the first military intervention by the US in reaction to drone and missile attacks on commercial ships since Israel’s war on Gaza started in October.
The Houthi movement, which controls much of Yemen after nearly a decade of war against a Western-backed, Saudi-led coalition, is a strong supporter of Hamas in its war against Israel.
The Palestinian group said the US and the UK will bear responsibility for the impact of the strikes on the security of the region.
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