US and British strikes in Yemen against Houthi rebels, who have stepped up attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea in recent weeks, were "limited, necessary and proportionate", UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement. .
“Despite repeated warnings from the international community, the Houthis have continued to carry out attacks in the Red Sea, including against British and US warships just this week. This cannot continue (…) We have thus taken limited, necessary and proportionate action in a situation of self-defence," Mr Sunack added in a press release issued by his services at 10 Downing Street.
On Jan. 11 at 2:30 a.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. Central Command forces, in coordination with the United Kingdom, and support from Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and Bahrain conducted joint strikes on Houthi targets to degrade their ability to continue their illegal and… pic.twitter.com/bR8biMolSx
- US Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 12, 2024
The armed forces of the United States and Britain conducted "successful" strikes against the Houthis in Yemen, US President Joe Biden said at the same time in his own announcement.
The strikes hit airports and other facilities in Houthi-held cities, especially the capital Sanaa, the strategic port of Hodeidah, Saada and Taiz, according to the rebel-aligned Al-Masira TV network and officials. of the movement.
At the same time, the Houthis declare that they will continue attacks against ships "connected" with Israel in the Red Sea. A spokesman for the rebels, Mohamed Abdel Salam, made it clear today that the movement will continue to target merchant ships if they have anything to do with Israel, while he denounced what he called "unjustified" strikes by the American and British armed forces. against the movement's facilities in various cities.
Mohammed Abdulsalam, the spokesperson for the Ansarullah resistance movement, says Yemen will not stop attacking Israeli-related ships despite the US and British military attacks on Yemen. pic.twitter.com/suHOhY0maj
- Press TV (@PressTV) January 12, 2024
"There is no justification for this attack against Yemen, because there is no threat to international shipping in the Red Sea (…) the target (of the Houthis) has been and will remain Israeli ships and those heading to the ports of occupied Palestine" , he underlined via X (formerly Twitter).
Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of the Houthi supreme political council, described the US-British strikes in Yemen as "barbaric".
He added that a statement would be issued soon in response to the attacks.
British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps announced via X on Tuesday night that another frigate, the HMS Richmond, was en route to the Red Sea to help counter "Iranian-backed Houthi attacks".
Prime Minister Sunak said Royal Air Force jets were carrying out bombing raids targeting "military facilities in Yemen used by the Houthi rebels".
According to the Minister of Defense, four Typhoon FGR4 fighters carried out "precision strikes" on the side of the American forces against two Houthi installations.
"The threat to innocent lives and global trade has become so great that this operation was not only necessary, it was our duty to protect ships and freedom of navigation," he added via X (formerly of Twitter).
"The UK will always defend freedom of navigation and the free movement of trade," Mr Sunack insisted in his statement, calling the Houthi attacks "dangerous" and "destabilising" as they caused a "major" problem in commercial shipping. "vital" road and "increased the prices of raw materials".
I will not hesitate to order more measures, says Biden
The US president expressed satisfaction with the "successful" missile strikes by the US and British armed forces in Yemen against positions and facilities of the Houthi rebels, which are considered close to Iran. Mr Biden said this "defensive" operation was carried out in response to Houthi attacks on merchant ships transiting the Red Sea and had the "support" of Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands.
He warned, in the press release published by his services at the White House, that he "will not hesitate" to "order more measures" if he deems it necessary.
A senior government official said that the strikes had "specifically" targeted "infrastructure" from which "missiles", "drones", as well as "radar" are launched.
He also reiterated the American position that Iran is "one of the main if not the main supporter" of the Shia rebel movement and provides them with both weapons and information to use in their attacks.
"Accuracy"
The US, according to the same official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, has "historically a special responsibility in defending" important sea lanes of international trade.
He noted that President Biden on January 1 asked his national security team to prepare military "options" and added that he decided to proceed with the strikes after the "sophisticated" attack by the Houthis on January 9. That day, 18 rebel drones and three missiles were destroyed by three US destroyers, the British battleship HMS Diamond and fighter jets escorted by the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.
A senior US military officer told reporters that "we targeted very specific capabilities in very specific locations with precision munitions" in order to "reduce the risk of collateral damage" — by which the US military refers to civilian deaths or injuries . "These strikes were carried out in direct response to the Houthi's unprecedented attacks against international shipping in the Red Sea," Mr. Biden noted, speaking of a total of "27 attacks" that hit "over 50 countries" and forced "over 2.000 ships' to change course to avoid this sea area. The American president insisted that, according to him, intensive diplomatic efforts were made before the military operation.
"Warning"
He recalled that, along with other states, the US had recently issued a "warning without rotation" to the rebels and that the previous Wednesday, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution demanding that they "immediately" stop their attacks against commercial ships in the Red Sea.
"Our goal remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea," said a press release from the US, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea. and Britain released by the American presidency.
Shortly after the Israel/Hamas war broke out in the Gaza Strip on October 7, the Houthis, who control much of northern Yemen and are backed by Iran, like Hamas, said they would target in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, ships passing through the Red Sea if they have any "relationship" with Israel, slowing the movement of ships.
Israel's main ally, the US, responded by deploying warships in the area and announcing in December the establishment of a naval coalition with the mission of protecting international shipping from Houthi attacks in this strategically important maritime area, through which about 12% of its world trade.
Some major shipping lines are now avoiding the region altogether, which is driving up transport costs between Europe and Asia.
Retribution
The senior US official said the aim was to "reduce" the ability of the Houthis to attack merchant ships in the Red Sea, but added that it would not "surprise" Washington if the rebels hit back. The Red Sea is not—any other—the only hot spot in the region for the US, which strongly supports Israel in its war with Hamas. Since October, US troops in Iraq and Syria have been the target of 130 attacks, according to the Pentagon.
Washington has about 900 troops deployed in Syria and nearly 2.500 more in Iraq as part of the operation against the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group by an international coalition formed in 2014. Last week, a leader of a pro-Iranian militant group was killed in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, in a US airstrike that angered the Iraqi government, which relies on the support of pro-Iranian factions.
Houthi: The US and Britain will suffer heavy consequences for this attack
"Our country is facing a massive attack by US and British ships, submarines and aircraft," Houthi Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein al-Ezzi was quoted as saying by Shiite rebel media.
"The US and Britain must prepare to pay dearly and suffer heavy consequences for this attack," he explained.
It is recalled that the leader of Yemen's Shiite rebels, Abdel Malik al-Houthi, threatened yesterday Thursday that there will be retaliation for any US attack against his forces, speaking of operations on a scale "even larger" than the attack for which he claimed responsibility his movement yesterday Wednesday.
"Any American attack will not go unpunished. And (the retaliation) will not be of the order of the recent operation, with 24 drones and missiles, but much greater," warned Abdel Malik al-Houthi during a speech broadcast by Al-Masira TV station.
Source: protothema.gr