The British Royal Air Force (RAF) launched airstrikes in conjunction with the United States against Yemen’s Houthis, British officials said early on Wednesday.
This was the UK’s first involvement with the Americans’ new and intensified campaign targeting the Iranian-backed terrorist group.
The campaign, known as “Operation Rough Rider,” has been targeting the terrorists as the Trump administration negotiates with their main benefactor, Iran, over Tehran’s continuing nuclear program.
The UK’s Ministry of Defence described the site targeted as “a cluster of buildings, used by the terrorists to manufacture drones of the type used to attack ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, located some 15 miles south of Sanaa.”
“The strike was conducted after dark, when the likelihood of any civilians being in the area was reduced yet further.”
No information on the damage done in the strike, nor the suspected casualty numbers, was mentioned.
U.S. Central Command has not yet acknowledged the strike.
“This action was taken in response to a persistent threat from the Houthis to freedom of navigation.
“A 55 percent drop in shipping through the Red Sea has already cost billions, fuelling regional instability and risking economic security for families in the UK.
“The Government is steadfast in our commitment to reinforcing global stability and protecting British working people.”
The aircraft carrier and its escorts are conducting exercises in the Mediterranean before heading to the Indo-Pacific.
The British have participated in airstrikes alongside the United States since the Biden administration began its campaign of strikes targeting the Houthis in January 2024.
The U.S. military said it was investigating.
The U.S. military has struck more than 800 targets in ongoing strikes against Houthi terrorists, U.S. Central Command stated on April 27.
The United States is conducting its strikes on Yemen from its two aircraft carriers in the region—the USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea and the USS Carl Vinson in the Arabian Sea.
It is targeting the Houthis because of the terror group’s attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, a crucial global trade route, and on Israel.
Yemen’s government has also been battling against the Houthis, who have taken control of portions of Yemen in recent years. Just south of Saudi Arabia, Yemen sits on the Gulf of Aden and has a population of about 39 million.
The Houthis, who are supportive of Hamas in Gaza, have stated that they attack ships connected to Israel.
Iran has supplied drones and drone technology to its allies in the so-called Axis of Resistance, which includes the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Both have used drones against Israel, although the Houthis have tended to target shipping in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandab Strait.
