The USA and the UK have carried out strikes on Houthi-controlled positions in Yemen in a brand new wave of assaults in opposition to the Iran-aligned Yemeni group, which has been focusing on US and Israeli pursuits in solidarity with Palestinians.
Along with Saturday’s strikes, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) additionally hit a Houthi antiship missile that was “ready to launch in opposition to ships within the Pink Sea” early on Sunday. Houthi assaults on Israel-linked ships within the slim strait of Bab al-Mandeb within the Pink Sea have disrupted world commerce, drawing within the US and the UK response.
Since mid-November, the Houthis have launched dozens of missile, drone and boat assaults on industrial ships linked with Israel, along with US and UK navy warships, with the said aim of stopping Israel’s devastating warfare on Gaza. Houthis have additionally demanded that Israel permit supply of humanitarian support to Gaza, the place almost all the inhabitants of two.3 million faces hunger.
The wave of recent strikes adopted a US air assault in Iraq and Syria on Friday that focused armed teams linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in retaliation for the killing of three US troopers in Jordan final week. The US has blamed the Jordan attack on the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of Iranian-linked armed teams. Tehran has tried to distance itself from the drone strike.
The CENTCOM mentioned it launched “proportionate” assaults with “assist” from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. Thirty-six targets had been hit “throughout 13 areas round midnight Saturday”, the US, the UK and supporting international locations mentioned in a joint assertion.
“These strikes are meant to degrade Houthi capabilities used to proceed their reckless and illegal assaults on US and UK ships in addition to worldwide industrial delivery within the Pink Sea, Bab al-Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden,” it mentioned.
‘Assaults received’t go unanswered’
Reporting from Washington, DC, Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett mentioned the strikes had been aimed toward deterring Houthi assaults on US pursuits within the area.
“What we perceive is that weapons services had been focused, together with missile techniques and launchers, as properly air defence techniques and radar. We all know these strikes had been launched from ships in addition to fighter jets,” she mentioned.
The US-UK assertion didn’t establish the precise locations that had been hit, however Houthi navy spokesperson Yahya Saree mentioned the capital, Sanaa, and different rebel-held areas had been focused.
Saree mentioned general there have been 48 assaults on a number of governorates, together with 13 on Sanaa and surrounding areas, 11 on Taiz, 9 on Hodeidah, seven on al-Bayda, seven on Hajjah, and one on Sa’dah.
Video shared on-line by folks in Sanaa included the sound of explosions and not less than one blast was seen lighting up the evening sky.
“These assaults won’t go unanswered and can be punished,” he reiterated, including that the group remains undeterred in “supporting the steadfast Palestinian folks”.
Reporting from Sanaa, Al Jazeera’s Mohammed al-Attab mentioned a few of the air raids had been on mountainous areas that the Houthis mentioned had been focused earlier than.
“So, we’re speaking about growing air strikes by the US and the UK in an effort to restrict what they are saying is Houthis’ capacity to harm US and UK maritime forces and assaults on Israeli ships, and the Houthis say that is stress on Israel to finish its aggression on folks in Gaza and to finish its blockade there,” he mentioned.
Iran’s Ministry of International Affairs spokesperson Nasser Kanaani condemned the assaults on Yemen in a press release on Sunday, saying they undermine worldwide peace and safety and go in opposition to Washington and London’s claims that they don’t want for wider warfare within the area.
“The US and the UK, in persevering with their all-out assist for the warfare crimes of the Zionist regime with their navy actions throughout the area, are spreading chaos, dysfunction, insecurity and instability with the aim of offering respiratory room for the legal regime that’s accused of genocide of Palestinians,” he mentioned, referring to the ongoing genocide case against Israel on the Worldwide Court docket of Justice.
Extra assaults possible
In a press release, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin promised that extra strikes could be forthcoming if the Houthis proceed their marketing campaign. Saturday’s assault was the third joint UK-US marketing campaign on the Houthis.
At the very least 16 folks were killed in the US strikes in Iraq, which Washington mentioned was solely step one in its response to the Jordan drone assault that killed US troopers.
US and allied troops within the area have been attacked greater than 165 instances since mid-October, largely in Iraq and Syria, however the Jordan deaths had been the primary from hostile fireplace throughout that interval. The Iran-aligned armed teams in these international locations say the US pursuits are official targets on account of Washington’s navy and diplomatic assist to Israel in its warfare on Gaza.
Iran, Iraq, Syria and others strongly condemned the assaults, whereas Russia, which backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has called for an urgent meeting of the United Nations Safety Council, which is anticipated to happen in New York on Monday.
Negotiations to achieve an settlement between Israel and Hamas on the warfare on Gaza are ongoing, with US outlet NBC Information quoting an unnamed US official as saying the talks are usually not anticipated to be hampered by the most recent Western assaults amid fears of a wider Center East escalation.