The United States and Britain launched air and sea strikes against Houthi military targets in Yemen in response to the group’s attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
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.”
Houthis claim their attacks on shipping routes in the Red Sea are in support for the Palestinians and Hamas.
According to Reuters, “the U.S. said Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands 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.”
President Joe Biden said the attacks were intended to send a “clear message” to those who attack U.S. personnel.
“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,” Biden said.
The U.S. also accused Iran of being involved in the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, providing the military aid and intelligence to carry them out.
“We believe that they have been certainly involved in every phase of this,” a senior U.S. official said.
The Houthi attacks have also disrupted international trade, forcing shipping to take the long route around South Africa to avoid being caught in the strikes.
