US LAUNCHES STRIKES AGAINST IRAN-BACKED HOUTHIS IN YEMEN
U.S. and UK military forces carried out air strikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen on Thursday, with support from Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and Bahrain.
President Joe Biden said he ordered the strikes in response to a series of unprecedented and escalating attacks by Houthi rebels on U.S. and international maritime vessels in the Red Sea, one of the world’s most crucial waterways for commercial shipping.
A senior administration official said yesterday evening that the strikes specifically targeted Houthi missile, radar, and UAV capabilities to disrupt and degrade their ability to threaten global trade and freedom of navigation in the shipping thoroughfare.
“This was a significant action,” a senior administration official said, adding that it was carried out with every intention and expectation of significantly reducing the Houthis’ ability to launch the types of attacks that they have carried out in recent weeks.
The U.S. and UK strikes on Houthi-controlled facilities in Yemen received “non-operational support” from Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and Bahrain, according to a senior military officer, who said the strikes did not target civilians in Yemen.
“I can reemphasize to you that these targets were very specifically selected for minimizing the risk of collateral damage. We were absolutely not targeting civilian population centers. We were going after very specific capability and very specific locations with precision munitions,” the senior military officer said.
Attacks by Houthi rebels, which began in mid-November, have impacted the international commercial shipping of more than 50 countries and have escalated in recent days to include direct targeting of American ships. The Houthis, who support Hamas, claim their attacks are in response to the Israel-Hamas war.
The senior administration official emphasized the president’s statement that if the attacks continue, the president “will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary.”
—Caden Pearson and Emel Akan
