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Friday, January 12, 2024
US, UK carrying out strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen — officials
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The United States and Britain have started carrying out strikes against targets linked to the Houthis in Yemen for the first time since Iran-backed group started targeting international shipping in the Red Sea after Hamas’s October 7 terror onslaught against Israel.
“American-Zionist-British aggression against Yemen launches several raids on the capital, Sanaa, Hodeidah governorate, Saada, and Dhamar,” Houthi official Abdul Qader al-Mortada says on X.
A US official says the strikes were carried out from aircrafts, ships and a submarine.
The Houthis, who control most of Yemen, have been targeting Red Sea shipping routes to show their support for Hamas. The attacks have disrupted international commerce on the key route between Europe and Asia that accounts for about 15% of the world’s shipping traffic.
BREAKING: VIDEO OF MAJOR STRIKES IN MULTIPLE LOCATIONS IN YEMEN pic.twitter.com/BKb8oWitKe
— Sulaiman Ahmed (@ShaykhSulaiman) January 11, 2024
These are believed to be the first strikes the United States has carried out against the Houthis in Yemen since 2016.
Four US officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, say a formal statement is soon expected to detail the strikes.
Earlier today, the Houthi’s leader said any US attack on the group would not go without a response.
The Houthis, who seized much of Yemen in a civil war, have vowed to attack ships linked to Israel or bound for Israeli ports. However, many of the targeted ships have had no links to Israel.
The US military said earlier today that Houthis fired an anti-ship ballistic missile into international shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden, the 27th attack by the group since Nov. 19.
The Times of Israel Community.