US, UK lead operation striking 36 Houthi targets across 13 locations in Yemen

The militaries of US and UK, with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and New Zealand targeted 36 Houthi targets across 13 locations in Yemen, the countries involved in the operation said in a joint statement early on Sunday.

The precision strikes aim “to disrupt and degrade the capabilities that the Houthis use to threaten global trade, and the lives of innocent mariners” and specifically targeted sites linked with the Houthis’ “deeply buried weapons storage facilities, missile systems and launchers, air defense systems, and radars,” the statement added.

Yemen’s capital Sanaa, which is controlled by Houthis, was hit by a series of air strikes late Saturday, the insurgents’ television channel also announced, blaming Britain and the United States.

“US and British strikes targeted sectors in the south of the capital,” Al-Massirah television said, as witnesses reported major explosions in the city.

The United States on Friday carried out strikes in Iraq and Syria against more than 85 targets linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps(IRGC) and militias it backs, reportedly killing nearly 40 people.

But while the United States accuses Iran-backed militias of attacking US troops at bases in Iraq, Syria and Jordan, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have been targeting commercial ships and warships in the Red Sea.

The Houthis, who control the most populous parts of Yemen, say their attacks are in solidarity with Palestinians as Israel strikes Gaza.

The United States has previously carried out more than 10 strikes against Houthi targets in the past several weeks, but they have failed to stop attacks by the group.

The Houthi-run Yemeni News Agency (Saba) said the US and Britain launched 14 raids on Saturday on the governorates of Taiz and Hodeidah.

Eleven of the attacks targeted the Al-Barah area in the Maqbanah District and areas in the Haifan District, a security source told the news agency. The other three attacks targeted Jabal Al-Jada’ in Al-Lahiya District and the Al-Salif District in Al-Hudaydah Governorate.

“Our aim remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea but let us reiterate our warning to Houthi leadership: we will not hesitate to continue to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in one of the world’s most critical waterways in the face of continued threats,” said the joint statement by the countries involved in the recent strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.