The U.S. and United Kingdom conducted large-scale strikes on Houthi terrorist targets in Yemen on Monday, the Pentagon said in a statement.
The U.S. has launched several rounds of pre-emptive strikes on a handful of Houthi missiles prepared to launch at commercial shipping in the Red Sea since the U.S. and U.K. first carried out a sweeping bombardment of Houthi targets, but strikes have failed to deter the Houthis. Monday’s “proportionate and necessary” attacks specifically targeted an underground storage site packed with drones and missiles, and other locations connected to the rebel group’s missile launch and air surveillance capabilities, according to a joint statement and senior military and defense officials speaking to reporters after the strikes.
The U.S. and Britain retaliated “in response to the Houthis’ continued attacks against international and commercial shipping as well as naval vessels transiting the Red Sea,” the statement read.
“These precision strikes are intended to disrupt and degrade the capabilities that the Houthis use to threaten global trade and the lives of innocent mariners, and are in response to a series of illegal, dangerous, and destabilizing Houthi actions since our coalition strikes on January 11, including anti-ship ballistic missile and unmanned aerial system attacks that struck two U.S.-owned merchant vessels,” it added. (RELATED: Navy Identifies SEALs Lost During Search And Seizure Mission Near Somalia)
Australia, Bahrain, Canada,
The military was still conducting an assessment of the strikes and battle damage, including whether the strikes caused any casualties among the Houthi militants, the official said.
U.S. Forces, Allies Conduct Joint Strikes in Yemen
As part of ongoing international efforts to respond to increased Houthi destabilizing and illegal activities in the region, on Jan. 22 at approximately 11:59 p.m. (Sanaa / Yemen time), U.S. Central Command forces alongside UK… pic.twitter.com/BQwEKZqMAo
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 22, 2024
Aircraft from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier operating in the Red Sea and fighters from the U.K. participated, the official said, as well as the destroyers USS Philippine Sea, USS Gravely and USS Mason. Tomahawk land attack missiles, which could be fired from the U.S. warships, were also used.
The strikes had “good impacts” at all locations, destroying missiles, drones and weapons storage facilities. But, officials said the strikes fit into the same category as the Jan. 11 counterattack aimed at degrading Houthi military capability and preventing further attacks.
The Houthis only doubled down on their pledge to attack commercial shipping and U.S. Navy ships in the region. They have attacked commercial shipping more than 30 times since Nov. 19, according to the statement, including several times after the earlier strikes.
“We’re specifically avoiding escalation by selecting these these locations and individual targets that will remove capability used in maritime attacks. We are not at this time expanding beyond that target set,” the senior defense official said.
The U.S. and U.K., with non-operational support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands, initially targeted Houthi drone, ballistic and cruise missile, and coastal radar and air surveillance capabilities for the first time on Jan. 11.
In the more expansive strikes, U.S. aircraft, warships and one submarine fired 150 of various kinds of munitions at dozens of targets in 28 locations, Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims, who heads the Joint Staff’s operations directorate, said. After striking more than 60 targets, including radars, missile launch sites and storage facilities, munitions depots and other targets at 16 locations, the U.S. conducted a second round of strikes on 12 more targets, Sims said.
The Pentagon has declined to provide a full assessment of the damage, citing operational security and intelligence concerns, Sims said immediately after the strikes he was fairly confident the strikes impeded the Houthis’ ability to carry out attacks.
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