The United Kingdom has once again joined forces with the United States to carry out a series of airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, which are believed to have ties to Iran.
The Secretary of Defense, Grant Shapps, stated that the recent attacks were not a step up in aggression, but rather were intended to safeguard innocent lives and maintain the freedom of navigation in the Red Sea due to Houthi attacks on vessels.
The armed forces department, MoD, verified that Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s were aided by Voyager tankers on Saturday during a collaborative operation with the United States. The targets were sites in Yemen utilized by the Houthis.
The militant group backed by Iran has frequently carried out assaults on ships in the Red Sea and other areas near the coast of Yemen, stating that it is attacking Israeli or ships bound for Israel to protest against the conflict with Hamas in Gaza.
Nevertheless, it has often attacked vessels that have weak or ambiguous connections to Israel, posing a threat to shipping on a crucial international trade pathway.
Due to the conflicts occurring in the southern Red Sea and the Bab al Mandab Strait, ships have been forced to change their route and travel around the Cape of Good Hope, located at the southernmost point of Africa. This alternative journey is both time-consuming and expensive.
The US launched an air attack in Iraq and Syria on Friday, targeting Iranian-backed militias and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. This was in response to a drone strike that killed three American troops in Jordan over the weekend.
The Ministry of Defense stated that in the attacks on Saturday, RAF Typhoons utilized accurately-guided bombs to strike multiple military objectives at three different areas.
According to the Whitehall department, Allied intelligence determined that some of the stations were being utilized for launching drone attacks and conducting surveillance on cargo ships and western warships.
The ministry stated that the nocturnal attacks were intended to decrease the chances of harm to innocent civilians.
Shapps stated that the Houthis’ actions of targeting both commercial and military ships in the Red Sea are against the law and not tolerable. He also emphasized the responsibility to safeguard innocent individuals and maintain the right to navigate freely.
Due to this, the Royal Air Force carried out a third round of appropriate and focused attacks on Houthi military sites in Yemen.
“We, along with our American allies and the backing of numerous global partners, took action in self-defense and in compliance with international laws.”
This is not an escalation. We have previously targeted and successfully destroyed launchers and storage sites related to Houthi attacks. I am certain that our most recent strikes have further weakened the Houthis’ abilities.
A collective announcement by the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, Bahrain, Denmark, Canada, the Netherlands, and New Zealand stated that there were “further appropriate and vital attacks on 36 Houthi objectives in 13 areas within Yemen”.
The attack was carried out as a reaction to “multiple unlawful, hazardous, and disruptive actions by the Houthi group” following previous coalition attacks on January 11 and 22.
Source: theguardian.com
