The armies United States and british bombed more than a dozen sites used by Yemen’s Houthis on Thursday in a massive retaliatory attack using Tomahawk missiles launched from warships and fighter jets, several US officials told The Associated Press.
The military targets included logistics centers, air defense systems and weapons storage and launch sites, US officials said.
Journalists from Associated Press In Sana’a, the capital of Yemen, they heard four explosions this Friday morning (local time) but saw no signs of fighter jets. Two Hodieda residents, Amin Ali Saleh and Hani Ahmed, said they heard five strong explosions that hit the western port area of the citywhich is found in the Red Sea and is the largest port city controlled by the Houthis. Residents of Taiz, a southwestern city near the Red Sea, also heard explosions.
The attacks marked the first US military response to what has been a persistent campaign of drone and missile attacks against commercial ships since the beginning of the war between Israel over Gaza, seeking to defeat the Hamas militia.
The coordinated military attack comes just a week after the White House and a number of partner countries issued a final warning to the Houthis to stop attacks or face possible military action. The officials confirmed the attacks on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations. Members of Congress were informed early Thursday of the strike plans.
Britain’s involvement in the attacks underscored the Biden administration’s effort to use a broad international coalition to fight the Houthis, rather than appearing to go it alone. More than 20 nations are already participating in a U.S.-led maritime mission to increase ship protection in the Red Sea.
Houthi militias issue warning against the United States
The rebels, who have carried out 27 attacks with dozens of drones and missiles since Nov. 19, said Thursday that Any attack by US forces on their sites in Yemen will provoke a fierce military response.
“The response to any American attack will not only be at the level of the operation that was carried out recently with more than 24 drones and several missiles,” Abdel Malek al-Houthi, the group’s supreme leader, said during an hour-long speech duration. . “It will be bigger than that.”
Houthis attack Gulf of Aden routes
Earlier this day, Yemen’s Houthi rebels launched a ballistic missile aiming to hit the shipping lanes of the Gulf of Adena strategic route for the transportation of oil from the Persian Gulf.
The United States Central Command (Centcom) reported in a statement about the incident, which occurred at approximately 2:00 local time in Sanaa (3:00 GMT) on January 11.
According to the statement, a commercial ship witnessed the impact of the missile in the water, with no injuries or damage reported.
Centcom indicated that this constitutes the twenty-seventh attack launched by the Houthis against commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
The main shipping companies worldwide continue to adjust their routes to avoid transiting through this sea route, through which almost 15 percent of global maritime trade transits, including 8 percent of world grain trade, 12 percent of oil trade. and 8 percent of global liquefied natural gas trade.
In support of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the Shiite Houthi rebels, backed by Iranhave been attacking vessels in the Red Sea since November 19 that they say are linked to Israel.
The situation in the region has become complicated after Iran’s announcement this Thursday about the capture of an oil tanker off the coast of Oman, which has led to speculation that the United Kingdom and the United States are preparing to launch attacks against the Houthis.
With information from EFE.
