Middle East Crisis: US and UK Launch New Strikes on Iranian-Backed Houthis in Yemen

Washington, DC, February 4: The United States and the United Kingdom launched air and surface strikes, which also included fighter jets, against Houthi sites in Yemen on Saturday. Overall, 30 targets were hit at least ten different sites, according to two US officials, reported CNN. According to one official, the targets include command and control, an underground weapons storage site, and weaponry used by the Houthis to strike international trade channels.

"Our aim remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea but let us reiterate our warning to Houthi leadership: we will not hesitate to continue to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in one of the world's most critical waterways in the face of continued threats," the US and UK said in a joint statement with Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and New Zealand, according to CNN. Middle East Crisis: US, UK Launch Retaliatory Strikes on Houthi Sites in Yemen’s Red Sea After Attack on British Oil Tanker

The strikes on Houthis in Yemen come a day after the US carried out strikes in Syria and Iraq on Iranian-linked militia positions there. Meanwhile, earlier on Saturday, the US intercepted six Houthi anti-ship cruise missiles before they could be launched into the Red Sea, according to US Central Command. The attacks on successive days came as the Biden administration prepared a "multi-tiered" reaction to a drone attack that killed three US military personnel and injured hundreds more last weekend, according to CNN.

Almost precisely 24 hours after the first US munitions struck their targets in Iraq and Syria, the US launched further attacks in Yemen. Saturday's attacks on Houthi rebels in Yemen mark the third time in recent weeks that the US and UK have hit Houthi targets as part of a combined operation, according to CNN. On January 11, the two military forces targeted around 30 Houthi locations. Less than two weeks later, the US and UK hit an additional eight targets. Middle East Crisis: US Carries Out New Strikes Against Houthis in Yemen As Another Ship Attacked in Red Sea

The prior operations targeted Houthi weapons storage facilities and radar installations in an attempt to impair the Iran-backed rebel group's capacity to assault international maritime channels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, two of the world's most important waterways. The Houthi rebels, who are an Iran-aligned group, started the strikes in retaliation for Israel's Gaza conflict. The Houthis have said that they will not stop attacking until Israel ends the hostilities in Gaza.

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