Washington and London vow to limit the capabilities of the Houthis following their second joint strike
The United States and Britain vowed, on Tuesday, to limit the Houthis’ capabilities to threaten maritime navigation, following joint strikes, their second together, that targeted at midnight Monday – Tuesday, Sana’a time, targets of the pro-Iranian group in the Yemeni capital and its environs, and three other governorates, amid the group’s leaders threatening retaliation. .
The strikes by Washington and London are the eighth against Houthi positions since January 12, and the second that came with British participation, since the escalation of attacks on cargo ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
London participated for the second time with Washington in directing strikes against the Houthis (Reuters)
The Houthis claimed, on Monday, that they had targeted an American military cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden with suitable missiles, which was denied by the US Navy, on the eve of new strikes that targeted warehouses, radars and infrastructure of the group, which claims to be launching its attacks in support of the Palestinians in Gaza.
While Washington and London vowed to continue the strikes, the Iranian-backed group launched about 30 attacks on cargo ships since November 19, including seizing the ship “Galaxy Leader,” detaining its crew and turning it into a tourist attraction for its followers.
The Iranian Foreign Minister stated, on Tuesday, that his country is warning Washington of the danger of strikes on the Houthis, while the Yemeni government says that the attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden are carried out using weapons and experts from Iran.
Since the start of the Houthi escalation at sea and the launch of the American and British strikes, 15 Houthi militants have been killed, and six others have been injured. According to the group’s confession, 10 of them were killed at sea when they attempted last December 31 to pirate a cargo ship in the southern Red Sea.
Yemeni researchers question the effectiveness of Washington and London’s strikes on the Houthi group (EPA)
Following the Houthi threats to shipping, Washington announced last month the formation of a multinational coalition, which it called the “Guardian of Prosperity,” to protect cargo ships in Yemeni territorial waters, and finally designated the group specifically on terrorist lists.
Destroying 8 Houthi targets
The US Central Command confirmed in a joint statement with its allies that in the recent strikes it targeted eight Houthi targets, which is part of the ongoing international efforts to respond to the increasingly destabilizing and illegal Houthi activities in the region.
The statement said that Central Command forces participated alongside the British Armed Forces, with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands, in carrying out strikes on eight Houthi targets in the areas they control in Yemen.
According to the statement, these strikes, launched by the multilateral coalition, targeted areas controlled by the Houthis, which were used to attack international commercial ships and US Navy ships in the region. The targets included missile systems, launch platforms, air defense systems, radars, and deeply buried weapons storage facilities.
Washington launched an eighth strike against the Houthis in response to their attacks against cargo ships (EPA).
According to the statement, the strikes aim to weaken the Houthis’ ability to continue their reckless and illegal attacks on American and British ships, as well as international commercial shipping in the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the Gulf of Aden.
The statement also stressed that these strikes are separate and unrelated to the multinational freedom of navigation measures, which are being implemented within the framework of Operation “Prosperity Guardian.”
U.S. Forces, Allies Conduct Joint Strikes in YemenAs part of ongoing international efforts to respond to increased Houthi destabilizing and illegal activities in the region, on Jan. 22 at approximately 11:59 p.m. (Sanaa / Yemen time), U.S. Central Command forces alongside UK… pic.twitter.com/BQwEKZqMAo
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 22, 2024
For his part, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said on Tuesday that the campaign aimed at weakening the military capabilities of the Houthis in Yemen will continue after the United States and Britain launched a new series of attacks.
Cameron told television stations: “What we have done again is to send the strongest message possible that we will continue to limit their ability to carry out these attacks.” According to what was reported by Reuters.
Cameron’s statements came at a time when the British Maritime Operations Authority reported that, on Tuesday, it received reports of unmanned aerial system activity 46 nautical miles south of Yemen’s Mokha, and said that the authorities were investigating, and advised ships to cross with caution, and to report any suspicious activity.
Mutual threats
In the same context, the Houthi group acknowledged the new strikes, did not talk about deaths or injuries, and threatened revenge, according to a statement by its military spokesman, Yahya Saree.
The Houthi spokesman said that American and British aircraft launched 18 air strikes, distributed among 12 raids on Sanaa and its surroundings, three raids on Hodeidah Governorate, two raids on Taiz Governorate, and a raid on Al Bayda Governorate. He vowed: “These attacks will not go unanswered and unpunished.”
The Houthi spokesman claimed in a statement on Monday that his group targeted an American military cargo ship called “Ocean Gas” in the Gulf of Aden. This was denied by the US Army.
An explosion following a US strike on a Houthi site in Yemen (Reuters)
The US Naval Forces Central Command said in a statement that “the Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists’ report of an alleged successful attack on the Ocean Gas ship is a complete fabrication,” and that the ship continued its safe transit.
Since the Houthi escalation, the attacks have hit at least four ships, including two American ships, a third Norwegian and a fourth Greek, amid fears that the escalation will lead to an expansion of the conflict in the Red Sea.
On Tuesday, the Islamic Republic of Iran News Agency (IRNA) quoted Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian as saying, “Iran sent a message and warning to the Americans that what they are doing in conjunction with Britain in the Red Sea and against Yemen is a threat to peace and security and a strategic mistake.” Abdollahian added, “ At the time when America and Britain launched attacks on Yemen, satellite images showed the presence of about 230 commercial and oil ships in the Red Sea, which means that they received the Yemenis’ message well that only ships heading to the ports of Israel are stopped by the Yemenis.
On the other hand, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed on Tuesday that London will continue to respond to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea if they continue.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak threatens the Houthis (AFP)
Sunak told Parliament: “We are not seeking confrontation,” adding, “But if necessary, the United Kingdom will not hesitate to respond in the context of self-defense.” He continued, “We cannot stand idly by and allow these attacks to go unanswered.” Sunak called on “the Houthis and those who support them to stop these illegal and unacceptable attacks.” According to what was reported by the French Press Agency.
Sunak announced that British Foreign Secretary David Cameron will visit the Red Sea region “in the coming days.” He pledged to impose sanctions on the Houthis, saying: “We will use the most effective means at our disposal to cut off financial resources from the Houthis.” Sunak added, “We intend to announce new sanctions in the coming days in cooperation with the United States.”
The Yemeni government says, “For years, the world has turned its back on government calls and warnings about the dangers of Iranian interventions destabilizing the security and stability of Yemen and the region, for which the Yemenis and the countries and peoples of the region have paid a heavy price. It finds itself in a direct confrontation with Iranian terrorism and its Houthi tool, face to face in the Red Sea and the Strait of Bab al-Mandab and the Gulf of Aden”; According to the words of the Yemeni Minister of Information, Muammar Al-Eryani.
The United States and Britain vowed to continue the strikes until the Houthis stop the attacks (EPA)
Al-Eryani said in official statements that the government in his country “has repeatedly confirmed, in the various events that the country has witnessed since the 2014 coup, the presence of advisors, experts and fighters from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and Lebanese Hezbollah in areas forcefully under the control of the terrorist Houthi militia, to manage Operations rooms, developing military plans, providing intelligence and logistical support, and reassembling ballistic missiles and drones smuggled from Iran.”
The Yemeni minister called on the international community, the United Nations, the European Union, and the UN Security Council to take decisive action to put an end to what he described as “organized terrorism” practiced by the Tehran regime and its tools in the region, most notably the Houthis.
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2024-01-23 18:44:32
