US, UK launch strikes on 36 targets in Yemen
(MENAFN) In a joint military operation, the United States and the United Kingdom conducted a series of air- and sea-launched strikes targeting at least 36 locations across Yemen, according to an announcement from the United States Central Command on Saturday. The mission utilized Tomahawk missiles launched from United States Navy ships and F/A-18 fighter-bombers from the aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower. The strikes focused on multiple underground storage facilities, command and control centers, missile systems, UAV storage and operations sites, radars, and helicopters.
The United States Central Command emphasized that the purpose of the raid was to degrade Houthi capabilities, preventing them from carrying out what were described as "reckless and unlawful attacks" on United States and United Kingdom ships, as well as international commercial shipping. The military action comes in response to ongoing Houthi attacks on shipping in the region, which escalated in solidarity with Palestinians since the Israel-Hamas conflict in October of the previous year. Initially targeting Israeli-affiliated vessels, the Houthis expanded their attacks to include ships owned by the United States and the United Kingdom after the coalition launched strikes on Yemen.
Earlier on the same day, the United States had struck six locations in Yemen, specifically targeting Houthi cruise missiles set to be launched at ships in the Red Sea, as reported by United States Central Command on social media. In response to the military strikes, Houthi officials have signaled their intent to "meet escalation with escalation," with a senior political official and spokesman, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, stating, "Our military operations against the Zionist entity will continue until the aggression against Gaza stops, no matter what sacrifices it costs us."
This latest assault occurred a day after United States airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, with Washington claiming to have targeted members of the Islamic Resistance movement and other "Iranian-backed" militias. The strikes were framed as a response to a drone strike that resulted in the death of three United States soldiers at a military facility in Jordan the previous weekend.
As tensions rise in the region, the coordinated military actions by the United States and United Kingdom underscore the ongoing challenges and complexities faced in addressing the geopolitical dynamics in Yemen and the broader Middle East. The repercussions of these strikes are likely to have a lasting impact on the regional landscape and may further escalate hostilities in an already volatile environment.
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