After actively avoiding an expansion of the war in the Middle East for the past three months, the United States, along with allies including Britain, the Netherlands, Australia, Canada, and Bahrain, conducted military strikes on more than a dozen targets in Yemen controlled by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia.
The military action was a response to over two dozen Houthi drone and missile attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea since November. Despite warnings from the Biden administration and international allies of severe consequences, the Houthi militia continued their assaults, citing protest against Israel’s bombardment of Gaza as their motivation.
American and British warships intercepted a substantial barrage of Houthi drone and missile strikes on Tuesday, which was deemed the final straw by US and Western military officials. Subsequently, the United States and its allies carried out air and naval strikes, targeting radars, missiles, drone launch sites, and weapons storage areas.
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The strike, approved by US President Joe Biden, involved aircraft from regional bases and the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower. A Navy submarine also fired Tomahawk cruise missiles. The Netherlands, Australia, Canada, and Bahrain provided logistical, intelligence, and other support.
The impact of these recent attacks is still uncertain, but Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the leader of the Iran-backed rebel group, earlier indicated in a televised speech that it’s unlikely the strikes would deter the group.
“Any American attack will not remain without a response. The response will be greater than the attack that was carried out with 20 drones and a number of missiles,” al-Houthi said on Thursday. “We are more determined to target ships linked to Israel, and we will not back down from that,” he added.
Thursday night’s military strikes represent the most significant US action against the Houthis since 2016 when a similar response temporarily halted Houthi attacks after US strikes on missile sites.
The Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have forced major shipping companies to reroute vessels, causing global disruptions, delays, and increased costs for oil and other imported goods. On Thursday, Tesla announced that it would halt production at its Berlin plant due to supply disruptions.
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