US, UK Strike Houthi Targets In Yemen, Biden Calls It 'Defensive Action' Against Attacks In Red Sea

The United States and a coalition that included the United Kingdom carried out airstrikes in Yemen against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

The White House announced that coalition attacks had been conducted in Houthi-controlled regions of Yemen. "U.S. military forces – together with the United Kingdom and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands –successfully conducted strikes against a number of targets in Yemen used by Houthi rebels to endanger freedom of navigation in one of the world's most vital waterways," U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement issued by White House.

In a statement, Biden stated that he "will not hesitate" to authorise more military action if necessary.

According to a Houthi source and witnesses, air strikes targeted a number of cities in Yemen, where the Huthis hold a large swath of territory, news agency AFP reported.

"On 11 January, Royal Air Force aircraft joined coalition forces in striking a number of facilities used by the Houthi rebel faction in Yemen to attack shipping in the southern Red Sea," a statement issued by the UK Government reads.

According to numerous US news outlets, the attacks used fighter planes and Tomahawk missiles. When asked by AFP, US officials did not immediately corroborate the accusations.

Biden described the strikes as a "direct response" to the Huthis' "unprecedented" actions, "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, jeopardized trade, and threatened freedom of navigation," he stated, emphasising that Washington and its allies "will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation."

"I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary," he stated. 

Since the Gaza conflict started on October 7 with Hamas' unprecedented attack on Israel, the Huthis have carried out an increasing number of strikes against the crucial international water route.

In his address, Biden stated that on January 9, they "launched their largest attack to date -— directly targeting American ships."

However, the Western strikes risk exacerbating an already volatile situation in the Middle East, putting the US and Israel against Iran and its regional proxies.

The Houthirebels claim to be responding to Israel's shelling of the Gaza Strip by launching a series of drones and missiles against Israel.

They have seized a large portion of Yemen since a civil war broke there in 2014, and are members of Iran's so-called "axis of resistance" against Israel.

The US and its allies have issued a series of increasingly harsh warnings to the Huthis to cease the maritime assaults, while Washington is wary of further inflaming regional tensions.

In December, Washington formed a multinational alliance called Operation Prosperity Guardian to defend marine commerce in the area, through which 12 percent of global trade passes.

On January 3, twelve nations led by the United States warned the Huthis of "consequences" unless they immediately ceased attacking commercial vessels.

However, late Tuesday, the Huthis conducted what London described as their most significant strike yet, with US and British forces shooting down 18 drones and three missiles.

Britain issued a warning, and the UN Security Council called for an urgent end to the strikes on Wednesday.

The US military reported the Huthis launched an anti-ship ballistic missile into a maritime passage in the Gulf of Aden early Thursday, which looked to be the final straw for Western partners.

The strike was the 27th on international ships in the Red Sea since November 19, according to the US Navy.

As the attacks escalate, shipping firms are diverting around South Africa's Cape of Good Hope, raising concerns of a worldwide economic impact.

The Huthis claim to solely target vessels associated with Israel or its backers.

Following the October 7 assaults on Israel, the US increased its military posture in the region and urged Iran and its allies not to exacerbate the situation.

The Biden administration was initially hesitant in its response, as it seeks to protect Yemen's fragile peace, where a decade of civil conflict and a Saudi-led coalition's military operation have resulted in one of the world's greatest humanitarian catastrophes in the Arabian Peninsula's poorest country.