US and UK strike Houthi sites in Yemen in response to ‘unprecedented’ attacks

The US and the UK launched air and missile strikes in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, aimed at halting attacks on ships in the Red Sea, Washington and London announced overnight.

Joe Biden, the US president, said American and British forces, with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands, were involved in the attack, striking at least 60 targets in 16 locations around Yemen.

Biden said: “These strikes are in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea – including the use of anti-ship ballistic missiles for the first time in history.

“These attacks have endangered US personnel, civilian mariners, and our partners, jeopardised trade, and threatened freedom of navigation.”

US Central Command said the airstrikes, which took place around 3am in Yemen, targeted “radar systems, air defence systems, and storage and launch sites for one way attack unmanned aerial systems, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles”.

Lt Gen Alexus Grynkewich, from the US air force, said the US had “executed deliberate strikes on more than 60 targets at 16 Iranian-backed Houthi militant locations, including command and control nodes, munitions depots, launching systems, production facilities and air defence radar systems”.

The number of strikes was at the upper end of expectations, and designed to deter and prevent the Houthis from launching fresh attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea. Earlier on Thursday, the group’s leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, said it would respond with fresh attacks on western shipping if Yemen was struck.

Biden said overnight he would be willing to authorise further attacks on Yemen if Houthi attacks on shipping did not stop. “I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary,” he said.

Targets, including in the capital city, Sana’a, were hit by fighter jets from the US navy, US air force and Royal Air Force, along with ship-launched Tomahawk cruise missiles. Other locations reported targeted by Houthi officials were in the area of the port city of Hodeidah, and the cities of Saada and Dhamar.

Houthi forces claimed to have retaliated immediately against western warships, but a senior US military official said late on Thursday no Houthi response had so far materialised. A Houthi show of defiance in the Red Sea is anticipated if the group’s military is capable of doing so.

The US and the UK said steps had been taken to minimise civilian casualties, partly by attacking at night, but it was unclear initially what damage had been done on the ground and the impact on Houthi military and the local population.

The Houthis’ spokesperson, Mohammed Abdulsalam, said on Friday there was no justification for the strikes and vowed to continue targeting ships heading for Israel – although he claimed navigation was “safe and normal for all ships except for Israeli ships or those heading to the ports of the Israeli entity”.

A member of the group’s governing council, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi described them as “barbaric”.

Another spokesman, Yahya Saree, claimed that the joint US-UK operation conducted 73 raids in Sana’a, Hodeidah, Taiz, Hijjah, and Saada, resulting in five deaths and six injuries. No civilian casualties were reported.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Nasser Kanaani, strongly condemned the military attacks on several cities in Yemen. He said: “We consider it a clear violation of Yemen’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and a breach of international laws, regulations, and rights.” Lebanon’s powerful armed group Hezbollah also condemned the strikes.

The western airstrikes come at a time of significantly heightened tensions in the Middle East. Israel’s war in Gaza is into its fourth month, while the country is also engaged in an increasingly violent exchanges of missile fire on its northern border with the Lebanese Hezbollah militia, who are backed by Iran.

Rishi Sunak, the British prime minister confirmed UK participation in the strikes, saying, “We have … taken limited, necessary and proportionate action in self-defence, alongside the United States against targets tied to these attacks, to degrade Houthi military capabilities and protect global shipping.”

Parliament was not asked to approve the military action in advance, because it was taken in self-defence, but the cabinet and leader of the opposition, Keir Starmer, were consulted last night in advance of the bombing.

The Pentagon insisted that the nature of the strikes was intended to strictly limit civilian casualties. “These targets were very specifically selected for minimising the risk of collateral damage. We were absolutely not targeting civilian population centres. We were going after very specific capability and very specific locations with precision munitions,” a senior US military official said.

A Houthi campaign targeting shipping in the southern Red Sea area, in support of Hamas in Gaza, began in mid October, using missiles and drones designed in Iran. The Houthis, who have the support of Tehran, say they are targeting ships linked to Israel although in practice this has not always been the case.

The US military said the Houthis had launched 27 attacks, with the last coming on Thursday, when the rebel group fired a cruise missile into shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden, according to US Central Command.

Red Sea attacks

The decision to launch a military response by the US and UK came after the Houthis launched a drone and missile attack aimed at a fleet of American and British warships in the southern Red Sea. The brazen nature of the attack led the US and the UK to warn on Wednesday “there will be consequences”.

The US and the UK had deployed warships in the southern Red Sea region to protect commerce on one of the world’s busiest waterways. Vessels passing to and from the Suez Canal farther north accounted for 15% of global seaborne trade before the Houthi attacks deterred many from travelling through the area.

Britain’s Ministry of Defence said four RAF Typhoon fighters struck two targets in north-west Yemen using Paveway guided missiles. They were the airfield at Abbs, said to have been a launch site for Houthi cruise missiles and drones, and a site at Bani, said to have been used for reconnaissance and attack drones.

“Particular care was taken to minimise any risks to civilians,” the MoD said, and added that the results of the strikes was now being assessed. “Early indications are that the Houthis’ ability to threaten merchant shipping has taken a blow,” it added.

No other country was willing to bomb but Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Republic of Korea issued a joint statement in support of the action with the US and UK, while France said the Houthis “bear the responsibility” for the escalation.

Additional reporting by Patrick Wintour