Washington: In response to escalating attacks by Houthi rebels on commercial vessels, the United States carried out fresh strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, according to a US official, as reported by CNN.
These strikes followed a coordinated attack on approximately 30 Houthi locations the day before.
The subsequent attacks that took place on Friday night (local time), according to the official, targeted a radar site used by the Houthis and were notably more limited in nature.
According to Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims II, Director of the Joint Staff, the Houthis had fired at least one anti-ship ballistic missile towards a commercial vessel earlier on Friday, CNN reported.
In order to prevent the Houthis from firing into international trade lanes in the Red Sea, the US and UK attacked 28 different Houthi locations on Thursday, as per CNN. Australia, Bahrain, the Netherlands, Canada, and Australia also supported the two countries.
The official stated that the United States launched its most recent strike on its own initiative. Meanwhile, the US has vowed to take further military action, if the Houthis continue to attack the commercial vessels in the Red Sea with drones and missiles.
“We will make sure we respond to the Houthis if they continue this outrageous behaviour along with our allies,” US President Joe Biden said Friday while in Pennsylvania, as the attacks by Houthis have been escalating recently, reported CNN.
However, the Iran-backed rebel group fired another anti-ship ballistic missile on a commercial vessel in the Gulf of Aden, south of Yemen, following the US-led strikes.
After the US was able to assess the combat damage and determine which targets remained, it was initially unclear if the subsequent US strikes were a response to the anti-ship ballistic missile launch or a continuation of the earlier attacks.
The Thursday attacks were carried out by the US, along with UK and support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands, conducted strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.
“Today, at my direction, US military forces–together with the United Kingdom and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands–successfully conducted strikes against a number of targets in Yemen used by Houthi rebels to endanger freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most vital waterways,” the US President said in a statement on Thursday.
In his statement, Biden said that Houthis “launched their largest attack to date–directly targeting American ships” on January 9.
“These strikes are in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea–including the use of anti-ship ballistic missiles for the first time in history. These attacks have endangered US personnel, civilian mariners, and our partners, jeopardised trade, and threatened freedom of navigation,” Biden said.
The Houthi rebels, who are an Iran-aligned group, started the strikes in retaliation for Israel’s Gaza conflict. The Houthis have said that they will not stop attacking until Israel ends the hostilities in Gaza.
Yemen’s Houthis have launched several drone and missile attacks at Israel, with most intercepted, since the war started.
The Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, after thousands of Hamas terrorists crossed the border and killed scores of Israelis.
(Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by Siasat staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Follow on Twitter | Posted by Sakina Fatima | 
