US، UK carry out airstrikes destroying Yemen Houthis ability to attack ships

Houthis have attacked 27 ships in Red Sea since late December as a dramatic regional widening of the Israel Hamas war in Gaza، therefore، the United States and Britain launched strikes from the air and sea against Houthi military targets in Yemen and these targeted strikes are a clear message that the US، UK and allies will not tolerate attacks on their personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation in response to the movement's attacks on ships in the Red Sea.

Bloomberg Agency News reported that United States and Britain launched airstrikes against Houthis rebels in Yemen after Red Sea attacks on ships and Biden backs far-reaching Yemen strikes despite fear of wider war but the attacks aimed to hit Houthi ability to attack ships with the support of Australia، Bahrain، Canada and Netherlands، however، US says no intent to escalate tensions.

US، UK explosions throughout the Yemen، targeted Houthis capabilities

US، UK confirmed explosions throughout the Yemen and targeted Houthis capabilities including drones، ballistic and cruise missiles، costal radar and air surveillance that Houthis ability to threaten merchant shipping has taken a blow after President Joe Biden cautioned in a statement late on Thursday he would not hesitate to take further action if needed.

Houthis official confirmed that US، UK raids are in the capital Sanaa along with the cities of Saada and Dhamar as well as in Hodeidah governorate، calling them American-Zionist-British aggression، while Britain's ministry of defence said in a statement that early indications are that the Houthis' ability to threaten merchant shipping has taken a blow.

Strikes as part of an international effort to restore the free flow of trade

US، UK stated that Australia، Bahrain، Canada and the Netherland supported the operation، and sought to present the strikes as part of an international effort to restore the free flow of trade in a key route between Europe and Asia that accounts for about 15% of the world's shipping traffic but the Iran-backed Houthis say their attacks on shipping routes in the Red Sea are a show of support for the Palestinians and Hamas، the Islamist group that controls Gaza.

US، UK assured that air raids targeted a military base of Houthis adjacent to Sanaa airport، a military site near Taiz airport، a Houthi naval base in Hodeidah and military sites in Hajjah governorate as the strikes، the first on Yemeni territory since 2016، were also an undeniable demonstration of Washington's struggle contain the fallout Israel Hamas war in the Middle East since its eruption in October، although White House said there was no intent to escalate tensions، the Houthis have vowed to retaliate to any attack.

RAF Typhoon aircraft takes off to join the U.S. led coalition

United States and Britain launched air strikes with an RAF Typhoon aircraft takes off to join the U.S. led coalition from RAF Akrotiri to conduct air raids against military targets in Yemen، aimed at the Iran-backed Houthis militia that has been targeting international shipping in the Red Sea as US، UK believe that they have been certainly involved in every phase of these attacks.

The United States and Britain strikes were carried out by aircraft، ship and submarine targeting more than a dozen locations and the strikes were intended to weaken the Houthis' military capabilities، as opposed to being just symbolic as the strikes were going after very specific capability in very specific locations with precision munitions against Iran-backed Houthis.

Fears of escalation in the Gulf area

Andreas Krieg at King's College in London، warns that the concern is that these air raids could escalate and the risk that Saudi eArabia and the United Arab Emirates could also be drawn into the confrontation as Saudi Arabia called for restraint and avoiding escalation as well as the United States also accused Iran of being involved operationally in the Houthis attacks in the Red Sea، providing the military capabilities and intelligence to carry them out.

The Houthis، who control most of Yemen، defied a U.N. and other international calls to halt their missile and drone attacks on Red Sea shipping routes and warnings from the United States of consequences if they failed to do so but the Houthi attacks have disrupted international commerce، forcing international shipping to take the long route around South Africa to avoid being struck and the increase in delivery costs is stoking fears it could trigger a fresh bout of global inflation.

Houthi attacks have disrupted international commerce

The Houthi attacks have disrupted international commerce after Israel has launched a military assault that has killed more than 24 thousand Palestinians in Gaza after Hamas' attack on Israel on Oct. 7، in which 1،200 people died and 240 were abducted.

Therefore، more than 20 countries agreed in December to participate in a defensive U.S. led coalition، known as Operation Prosperity Guardian، safeguarding commercial traffic in the Red Sea but the U.S. and British strikes are taking place outside that coalition as hours before the U.S. and British strikes in Yemen، the U.S. military said the Houthis fired an anti-ship ballistic missile into international shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden.

Biden warned the Houthis Jan. 9 attack directly targeted American ships

U.S. and British naval forces shot down in Jan. 9، more than 21 Houthi drones and missiles fired in what the U.S. military described as a complex attack، language reminiscent of the way it once described Taliban or Islamic State attacks in Afghanistan and Iraq، that Biden warned the Houthi's Jan. 9 attack directly targeted American ships.

The strikes followed other diplomatic and military steps that U.S. officials had hoped would halt the Houthis attacks without starting a fresh conflict، while the response of the international community to these reckless attacks has been united and resolute and some Republicans in Congress welcomed the move، while some of Biden's Democrats expressed concern the U.S. could get entangled in another decades-long war and others sees it is a good first step toward restoring deterrence in the Red Sea.