US and UK begin airstrikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen

The US and UK have begun airstrikes against Houthi rebel targets in Yemen, according to reports.

It come following speculation that both nations would launch strikes against the Iranian-backed rebels in response to attacks by the group on commercial shipping lanes in the Red Sea.

The Associated Press reported that more than a dozen sites used by the Houthis in Yemen were bombed on Thursday and the early hours of Friday, with warship-launched Tomahawk missiles and fighter jets deployed. The military targets included logistical hubs, air defense systems and weapons storage locations, they said.

Reporters for the outlet in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, heard four explosions early Friday local time but saw no sign of warplanes.

Two residents of Hodieda, Amin Ali Saleh and Hani Ahmed, said they heard five strong explosions. Hodieda lies on the Red Sea and is the largest port city controlled by the Houthis, per AP.

An official from the Houthi movement also claimed raids were also conducted on several Yemeni cities in the early hours of Friday,

“American-Zionist-British aggression against Yemen launches several raids on the capital, Sanaa, Hodeidah governorate, Saada, and Dhamar,” Houthi official Abdul Qader al-Mortada said on X.

A National Security Council spokesperson referred questions from The Independent to the Defence Department.

The strikes marked the first US military response against the Houthis for what has been a persistent campaign of drone and missile attacks on commercial ships since November, following the outbreak of the war in Israel. The Houthis initially began targeting vessels linked to Israel.

The HMS Diamond in the Red Sea (LPhot Chris Sellars/MoD/Crown Copyright/PA) (PA Media)

The attacks have disrupted international commerce on the key route between Europe and Asia that accounts for about 15 per cent of the world’s shipping traffic.

The coordinated military assault comes just a week after the White House and a host of partner nations issued a final warning to the Houthis to cease the attacks or face potential military action. The officials confirmed the strikes to AP on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations.

Despite attacks stopping for several days, Houthi rebels fired their largest-ever barrage of drones and missiles targeting shipping in the Red Sea on Tuesday, prompting responses from both US and British ships and American fighter jets.

The forces shot down 18 drones, two cruise missiles and an anti-ship missile. On Thursday, the Houthis fired an anti-ship ballistic missile into the Gulf of Aden, which was seen by a commercial ship but did not hit the ship.

The rebels, who have carried out 27 attacks involving dozens of drones and missiles just since 19 November, said on Thursday that any attack by American forces on its sites in Yemen will spark a fierce military response.

The coordinated strikes by the UK and US are believed to be the first the American military has carried out against the Houthis in Yemen since 2016.

Earlier on Thursday UK prime minister Rishi Sunak held an emergency cabinet meeting. Mr Sunak had faced calls to recall Parliament after top Cabinet leaders gathered at to discuss potential action.

Britain’s participation in the strikes underscored the Biden administration’s effort to use a broad international coalition to battle the Houthis.

More than 20 nations are already participating in a US-led maritime mission to increase ship protection in the Red Sea.

US officials for weeks had declined to signal when international patience would run out and they would strike back at the Houthis, even as multiple commercial vessels were struck by missiles and drones, prompting companies to look at rerouting their ships.

However, on Wednesday, officials again warned of consequences, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken telling reporters: “I’m not going to telegraph or preview anything that might happen.”

Speaking in Bahrain Mr Blinken said the US had made clear “that if this continues as it did yesterday, there will be consequences. And I’m going to leave it at that.”