US, Britain launch strikes against Houthis in Yemen over Red Sea attacks
"These targeted strikes are a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation," says US President Joe Biden.
A handout picture released by the British Ministry of Defence (MOD) on Jan 12, 2024 shows an RAF Typhoon aircraft taking off RAF Akrotiri to join the US-led coalition to conduct air strikes against military targets in Yemen. (Photo: Sgt Lee Goddard/MOD/AFP)
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- Strikes have been reported in the Yemeni capital Sanaa and other Houthi military sites
- The Houthis control much of Yemen and have been attacking ships in the Red Sea, saying they are supporting HamasÂ
- A Houthi military spokesperson says the strikes by the US and Britain will not go without "punishment or retaliation"
WASHINGTON: The United States and Britain carried out strikes from the air and sea against Houthi military targets in Yemen overnight in response to the movement's attacks on ships in the Red Sea, a regional widening of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Witnesses in Yemen confirmed explosions throughout the country, saying raids targeted a military base adjacent to Sanaa airport, a military site near Taiz airport, a Houthi naval base in Hodeidah and military sites in Hajjah governorate.
"These targeted strikes are a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation," US President Joe Biden said in a statement.
He added on Thursday (Jan 11) that the strikes were conducted with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands.
Britain's defence ministry said in a statement that "early indications are that the Houthis' ability to threaten merchant shipping has taken a blow". James Heappey, a junior defence minister, said the strikes were in self-defence and no further action was planned for now.
A Houthi military spokesperson said 73 strikes had killed five of the group's fighters and wounded six others. The attacks would not go without "punishment or retaliation" and the group will continue to target ships headed for Israel, he said.
The Houthis, an armed movement that took control of most of Yemen over the past decade, have been attacking shipping at the mouth of the Red Sea - one of the world's busiest trade lanes - since October. The action is in support of Hamas, they say.
Iran, which supports armed groups around the Middle East including both the Houthis and Hamas, condemned the US and British attacks. A Houthi spokesperson said there was no justification for the attacks.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who is in hospital due to surgery complications, said in a statement that the strikes targeted Houthi drones, ballistic and cruise missiles, coastal radar and air surveillance.
A Houthi official confirmed "raids" in the capital Sanaa along with the cities of Saada and Dhamar as well as in the Hodeidah governorate, calling them "American-Zionist-British aggression".
Russia requested an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council.
Saudi Arabia called for restraint and to "avoid escalation" in light of the US and UK air strikes in Yemen, the kingdom's foreign ministry said on Friday.
Saudi Arabia, which has in recent months engaged in peace talks with Yemen's Houthis, was closely monitoring the situation with "great concern", the foreign ministry said in a statement.
"The kingdom emphasises the importance of maintaining the security and stability of the Red Sea region, as the freedom of navigation in it is an international demand," the ministry added.
FEARS OF ESCALATION
The Houthi attacks have disrupted international commerce, forcing some ships to take the long route around southern Africa, an increase in delivery costs and time that stoked fears of a new bout of global inflation.
The military strikes, the first by the United States on Yemeni territory since 2016, were a clear demonstration of Washington's struggle to contain the fallout of the Israel-Hamas war since it broke out in October.
"The concern is that this could escalate," said Andreas Krieg at King's College in London.
The United States also accused Iran of being involved operationally in the Houthi attacks, providing the military capabilities and intelligence to carry them out.
"We believe that they have been certainly involved in every phase of this," a senior US official told reporters.
Israel has mounted a military assault that has killed more than 23,000 Palestinians in Gaza after Hamas fighters attacked Israel on Oct 7, killing 1,200 people and seizing 240 hostages.
The three months since have also seen violence escalate in Lebanon and the Israeli-occupied West Bank, as well as in Syria and Iraq, both flashpoints where armed groups backed by Iran operate and the United States has troops on the ground.
Iraq's state news agency quoted an advisor to its prime minister as saying the West was expanding the conflict.
The strikes on Yemen were carried out by aircraft, ship and submarine. A US official said more than a dozen locations were targeted and the strikes were intended to weaken the Houthis' military capabilities, as opposed to being just symbolic.
"We were going after very specific capability in very specific locations with precision munitions," a US military official said.
The Houthis have defied a call by the United Nations 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.
OPERATION PROSPERITY GUARDIAN
In December, more than 20 countries agreed to participate in a US-led coalition, known as Operation Prosperity Guardian, safeguarding commercial traffic in the Red Sea.
The US Central Command said in a post on X that the strikes by the US and UK on Thursday "have no association with and are separate from Operation Prosperity Guardian".
Singapore's Defence Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen said on Tuesday that the country will participate in Operation Prosperity Guardian.Â
It will deploy a team of planners to work with international partners at their headquarters to formulate plans.
Singapore will also be sending a team from the Republic of Singapore Navy’s Information Fusion Centre to support information sharing and engagement outreach to the commercial shipping community, as well as a senior national representative to the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) in Bahrain, he added.
Singapore has been a member of the 39-nation CMF since 2009. Within the CMF, one of the task forces is CTF 153 which aims to keep the Red Sea open and safe.Â
“The launch of Operation Prosperity Guardian aims to restore international confidence and a free flow of maritime shipping through the area. Singapore will participate in Operation Prosperity Guardian and contribute to CTF 153’s efforts,” said Dr Ng.
The disruption of the sea lines of communication (SLOC) in the Red Sea will have an impact on global supply chains. However, based on the current situation, the immediate impact on Singapore is expected to be limited as the majority of its critical supplies, such as food and pharmaceuticals, are delivered via air freight or do not pass through the Red Sea. Local manufacturers also seem to have sufficient spare inventory to hedge against supply disruptions, though they are worried about increases in business costs. Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen gave this assessment in reply to an MP’s question in Parliament on Tuesday (Jan 9). He pointed out that Singapore-registered ships have been affected by the attacks from the Houthis, with the number of daily transits through the Red Sea now approximately halved. Dr Ng said it is in Singapore’s interest to help protect and ensure that key SLOCs around the world remain open, especially if threatened by unlawful acts from non-state actors or terrorist groups. Singapore hopes that the littoral states that surround the Red Sea will step up efforts to end the unlawful Houthis attacks, said Dr Ng. The international community of user states also has a role to play, he added. Singapore will participate in the US-led Operation Prosperity Guardian and contribute to the efforts of Combined Task Force 153 to restore international confidence and the free flow of maritime shipping. The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) will deploy a team of planners to work with international partners at their headquarters to formulate plans. A team from the Republic of Singapore Navy’s Information Fusion Centre will support information-sharing and engagement outreach with the commercial shipping community and a senior national representative to the Combined Maritime Forces in Bahrain. Separately, Singapore and the SAF, together with international partners, have continued to monitor developments in the region, including the ongoing need for humanitarian assistance, said Dr Ng. The SAF has accepted an offer from the French Armed Forces to provide two medical personnel to serve on its hospital ship in Egypt.
