The US and UK have launched a series of new strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen today.
The latest strikes – launched by fighter jets – hit at least 30 Houthi targets across at least 10 different locations.
Targets were struck by US F/A-18 fighter jets from the USS Dwight D Eisenhower aircraft carrier and by American warships firing Tomahawk missiles from the Red Sea.
Saturday’s strikes marked the third time the U.S. and UK had conducted a joint operation to strike Houthi targets, including underground storage sites, missile and radar sites, and weapon launchers.
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US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement: “On February 3, at approximately 7.20pm (Sanaa time), US Central Command forces conducted strikes in self-defense against six Houthi anti-ship cruise missiles prepared to launch against ships in the Red Sea.
“US forces identified the cruise missiles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined they presented an imminent threat to US Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region.”
It continued: “These precision strikes are intended to disrupt and degrade the capabilities that the Houthis use to threaten global trade, and the lives of a innocent mariners, and are in response to a series of illegal, dangerous, and destabilising Houthi actions.”
This move comes after the US conducted major airstrikes at 85 targets in Iraq and Syria on Friday in retaliation for the drone attack that killed three US service members in Jordan.
The strikes come as Biden vowed revenge against Iranian-aligned militants after a deadly drone attack killed three US service members and wounded more than 40 in a military output in Jordan last week.
Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin admitted “this is a dangerous moment in the Middle East” but the US “will take all necessary action” to execute their “multi-tiered response” to the attack.
