U.S. and British military forces executed another series of air and missile strikes on the Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen on Saturday. This action was in response to ongoing Houthi attacks on international shipping.
Three U.S. officials and a British official confirmed these strikes, marking the third occurrence since January 11. The decision for this military response follows the U.S. long-range aircraft’s assault on Iranian military and proxy targets in Iraq and Syria on the previous day.
These strikes are part of a series of expected retaliatory measures after a drone attack on U.S. troops in Jordan last Sunday.
U.S. and UK Initiate Fresh Attacks on Houthis (Credits: All Arab News)
The latest strikes targeted Houthi positions from air, sea, and subsurface platforms, according to one of the U.S. officials. It’s crucial to note that these strikes against the Houthis are distinct from the U.S. administration’s response to the Jordan attack, emphasizing a multifaceted approach to addressing regional security concerns.
The U.S. military is intensifying its efforts on two fronts in the Middle East. On one hand, it is responding to missile and drone launches by Iran-supported Houthi rebels in Yemen, primarily targeting commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
Simultaneously, it is countering Iranian proxies in reaction to over 160 strikes on U.S. troops in Iraq, Syria, and Jordan. President Joe Biden’s approach seeks to avoid escalating tensions into a full-scale war with Iran.
The recent strikes on Friday focused on logistical facilities, weapons storage sites, and command centers, specifically targeting the Quds Force, a branch of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
In response to the Friday bombing, Iran expressed its disapproval, considering it an adventurous action that would only escalate tensions and destabilize the region.
While Syria and Iraq condemned the bombing runs, highlighting potential harm to the fight against Islamic State terrorists, Iranian proxies in these regions seem to have adjusted their behavior.
There have been no reported additional attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq, Syria, or Jordan since the attack in Jordan that claimed three U.S. soldiers’ lives.
However, the Houthi rebels have persisted and intensified their campaign against ships in the Red Sea in the past week.
Notably, the destroyer USS Gravely intercepted a Houthi-launched drone near the vessel, prompting the U.S. to conduct self-defense strikes on multiple occasions, including the destruction of a Houthi surface-to-air missile, a ground control station, and ten drones.
The latest strikes on Saturday, focusing on Houthi anti-ship cruise missiles in Yemen, were categorized as self-defense due to the imminent threat they posed to U.S. Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region.
While these recent strikes represent the third major pre-planned offensive against the Houthis since January 11, the U.S. has engaged in several smaller-scale self-defense strikes against Houthi positions in Yemen in the interim, underscoring the complex and evolving nature of the situation.
