A Houthi military spokesperson on Friday said that 73 strikes had killed five of the group's fighters and wounded six others, after the United States and Britain carried out overnight strikes against the movement's military targets in Yemen in response to attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
The attacks would not go without “punishment or retaliation” and the group will continue to target ships headed for Israel, said Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Sarea.
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. They say that the action is in support of Hamas.
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.
Meanwhile, in a statement, U.S. President Joe Biden said, “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.”
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Friday (January 12) that he believed the strikes by Britain and the U.S. on Houthi military targets in Yemen will degrade the capability of the Iran-backed group to target ships in the Red Sea, adding Britain would “not hesitate to protect lives and ensure the safety of commercial shipping”.
Further, Britain's defence ministry said in a statement, “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.
The U.S. and Britain carried out dozens of air strikes on Houthi military targets overnight on Thursday (January 11), widening a regional conflict stemming from Israel's war in Gaza. Further, U.S. conducted an additional strike against Yemen's Houthi forces, targeting a radar site, following dozens of strikes on Iran-backed Houthi facilities.
Iran, which supports armed groups around the Middle East including both the Houthis and Hamas, condemned the U.S. and British attacks. A Houthi spokesperson said there was no justification for the attacks.
(Input from Reuters)
